Effect of two starters (Jiu Yao) on Chinese rice wine microbial community and flavour

The starters (Jiu Yao) play key roles in the fermentation of rice wine. However, the microbial composition in the starters and their impact on the dynamic changes in the microbial community during the fermentation of Chinese rice wine (CRW) remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate the microbial community structure in different stages of CRW fermentation with two starters (Q1 and Q2) using high-throughput sequencing approaches. The beta-diversity analysis showed significant differences in fungal components during fermentation, but no significant differences in bacterial composition. Saccharomyces, Aspergillus, Wickerhamomyces and Hyphopichia were the dominant fungal genera. Pediococcus and Weissella were the main bacterial genera. In addition, the ethanol content of wine fermented with Q1 starter (13.33%) is not as high as that of wine made with Q2 starter (14.57%). The total sugar concentration of Q1 and Q2 starters fermentation broth (HJ-1 and HJ-2) is 22.74 and 30.20 g L-1, respectively. The correlation analysis showed 11 dominant microbial genera are strongly related to 27 volatile compounds in HJ-1, and seven dominant microbial genera are strongly related to 18 volatile compounds in HJ-2. In conclusion, this study indicated that CRW brewed with different starters have different flavour profiles.

Automated summary

The composition of microbial communities in the starters and their impact on the dynamic changes during the fermentation of Chinese rice wine (CRW) were investigated using high-throughput sequencing. Fungal components showed significant differences during fermentation, while bacterial composition did not. The dominant fungal genera were Saccharomyces, Aspergillus, Wickerhamomyces, and Hyphopichia, while the main bacterial genera were Pediococcus and Weissella. The study also found that CRW brewed with different starters had different flavor profiles.