Microbial communities and amino acids during the fermentation of Wuyi Hong Qu Huangjiu

• DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109743
• Publication Date: 2020-06-18T16:13:13Z
• Authors: Zhangcheng Liang; Hao Su; Xiaozi Lin; Zhigang He; Weixin Li; Donglian Deng
• Keywords: Umami

Abstract Wuyi Hong Qu Huangjiu (WHQHJ) is produced in an open, non-sterile environment, but this can lead to a too bitter taste. The aim of this study was to determine the change of microbial communities and amino acids during traditional fermentation at different temperatures and elucidate the potential correlation between microbes and amino acids. The results showed that the bitter, sweet, umami, and astringent amino acid contents all tended to increase during fermentation. Temperature had an effect on amino acid content and bitter taste, and the higher the temperature, the greater the content of amino acids and perceptual intensity of bitterness. Microbiological analysis was performed using high-throughput sequencing technology based on rRNA gene sequencing. It demonstrated that there were significant differences between the fungal and bacterial communities during the fermentation process at 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C based on both principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis. A high correlation (|r| > 0.6, P