Daqu is a key saccharifying and fermenting starter shaping the flavor quality of strong-flavor Baijiu, yet the association between microbial co-occurrence patterns and flavor compound accumulation remains unclear. In this study, ten finished medium- and high-temperature Daqu sample groups from ten selected enterprises in Yibin, each represented by three independent composite samples, were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing, physicochemical analysis, volatile profiling, co-occurrence network analysis, path coefficient analysis, and Mantel tests. Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, and Proteobacteria dominated the bacterial community, whereas Ascomycota dominated the fungal community. Lactobacillus, Weissella, Bacillus, Aspergillus, and Thermomyces were major genera potentially related to Daqu fermentation, and Wickerhamomyces was identified as a putative keystone genus based on network topology. The sample groups were classified into high-, medium-, and low-interaction groups according to co-occurrence distance. Shorter co-occurrence distance was associated with higher ester and pyrazine accumulation. Path coefficient analysis showed negative associations between co-occurrence distance and esters/pyrazines, with coefficients of −0.962 and −0.726, respectively (P < 0.05), while Mantel tests supported significant taxon–flavor associations, especially in the low-interaction group. These findings suggest that microbial co-occurrence patterns are closely associated with flavor accumulation in Daqu.

This study systematically characterized the effects of Thamnolia vermicularis extract on the physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacity, and volatile flavor profiles of three aroma types of Chinese Baijiu using a multi-technique analytical approach. Physicochemical measurements, antioxidant assays, including total phenolic content, DPPH radical scavenging activity, superoxide anion radical scavenging activity, and total reducing power, electronic nose analysis, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were applied to evaluate the compositional changes after blending. The results showed that the addition of T. vermicularis extract significantly altered physicochemical indices and enhanced antioxidant capacity, with consistent trends observed across different assays. GC–MS analysis identified 133 volatile compounds, among which 45 compounds exhibited odor activity values greater than 1 and were considered potential aroma-active compounds. Odor activity value analysis indicated that compounds such as 1-octen-3-ol and ethyl esters contributed to sample differentiation. Electronic nose responses combined with multivariate analysis (OPLS-DA) supported exploratory differentiation between base and blended samples. Overall, the integration of multiple analytical techniques provides an effective strategy for characterizing compositional and sensory-related changes in Baijiu, highlighting their applicability in the measurement and differentiation of complex alcoholic beverage systems.

With economic development and the diversification and improvement of consumption patterns, there is a growing concern about food health. Mulberry leaves, a kind of natural resource with the homology of medicinal and edible properties, contain various bioactive compounds. In this study, the key active constituents, including tea polyphenols, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), in mulberry leaf white tea were characterized after different withering methods. Additionally, the effects of different withering methods on volatile and non-volatile compounds were analyzed using metabolomics. The findings indicated that non-volatile metabolites were primarily upregulated across all withering methods. Metabolic pathway analysis identified starch and sucrose metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism as the key pathways influenced.

The scientifically combined artificial aging method is one of the most effective approaches for baijiu aging. The present study sought to explore the effects of six compound aging treatment methods on the quality of Nongxiangxing Baijiu, including high-temperature + ultrasonic (G-C), high-temperature + microwave (G-W), microwave + ultrasonic (W-C), microwave + high-temperature (W-G), ultrasonic + high-temperature (C-G), ultrasonic + microwave (C-W). Additionally, the samples of natural aging for 1-2 years (1-2N), 3-4 years (3-4N), and composite aging samples were compared with raw baijiu to explore the inhibitory effect of the composite aging method on the aging time and achieve natural aging, thereby saving costs and increasing economic benefits. The physical and chemical analyses of the nine sample groups were performed according to the national standard GBT10781.1-2021, and the sensory evaluation was performed using the fuzzy sensory evaluation method. The volatile components of the nine sample groups were analyzed by GC-MS, and the OAV activity was calculated. A total of 21 flavor substances with OAV > 1 were identified. The natural aging group and the compound accelerated aging group were analyzed using the Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and 6 and 10 different compounds were found in both groups, respectively. The cluster analysis of the complex aging samples showed that the G-C, G-W, W-C, C-W, C-G, and W-G were in the specific category. Furthermore, the primary flavor substance of Nongxiangxing Baijiu, i.e., ethyl caproate, was positively correlated with the differential compounds caproic acid, butyric acid, ethyl oleate, ethyl lactate, caproate, butyl caproate and ethyl valerate. By principal component analysis (PCA), the W-G group and 3-4N group were consistent in flavor correlation, indicating that the W-G group had a good aging effect. In addition, ethyl palmitate, ethyl oleate and other long-chain fatty acid ethyl esters showed positive correlations with the W-G group and 3-4N group, which is worthy of our further attention and research.

Sorghum is the primary raw material for liquor brewing, and its increasing cost has significantly impacted liquor manufacturers. In response, the industry is exploring the possibility of using low-cost imported sorghum as an alternative to domestic sorghum. The present study monitored the physicochemical properties, flavor components, and microbial community structure of fermented grains during the fermentation of Australian sorghum (AS) and Northeastern sorghum (DS) in real-time. Additionally, the correlation between microbial communities and the flavor of Xiaoqu liquor was investigated. Fermentation was analyzed over five periods: 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days. The reducing sugar content of DS was significantly higher than that of AS in the early stage, while the starch content remained consistently higher than that of DS. The acidity of both fermented grains showed an increasing trend, whereas moisture content and fermentation temperature remained relatively stable. A total of 52 flavor compounds were detected, with alcohols being the most abundant aroma compounds. The three most differentiated volatile flavor compounds were [V3] isopentyl formate, [V26] 6-methylheptan-1-ol, and [V16] 9hexadecenoic acid, ethyl ester. A total of 90 bacterial and 46 fungal genera were identified. The dominant bacterial genera in AS were Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Pediococcus, and Acinetobacter, while the dominant fungal genera were Saccharomyces, Saccharomycopsis, and Cutaneotrichosporon. In DS, the dominant bacterial genera were Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Pediococcus, and Enterobacter, while Saccharomyces and Saccharomycopsis were the dominant fungal genera. The AS bacterial community showed stronger microbial interactions, resulting in a more complex and tightly interconnected bacterial network, whereas its fungal network structure remained relatively simple. Correlation analyses further demonstrated that alcohols and hydrocarbons were strongly correlated with bacterial metabolic activity, and AS microorganisms exhibited weaker correlations with flavor compounds. This study provides a comprehensive comparison of the fermentation characteristics of AS and DS, offering a theoretical foundation and valuable data for optimizing the use of Australian sorghum in Xiaoqu liquor production.

Morus alba 'Seedless Dashi' is an excellent variety with large leaves, which is very suitable for making tea. GABA is an important functional component in mulberry leaf tea, but its role and influence on flavor components and metabolism of mulberry leaf tea are still unclear. In this study, metabolomics methods were used to comprehensively analyze the differences between externally added GABA mulberry leaf tea and non-added GABA mulberry leaf tea. The results showed that GABA treatment significantly increased the total amount and diversity of volatile components of mulberry leaf tea (+38.95 %), especially the addition of 6 new pyrazine compounds, which gave mulberry leaf tea nutty and caramel characteristics. Compared with ordinary mulberry tea, 73 different metabolites were screened (65 up-regulated and 8 down-regulated). It was found that GABA tea promotes the accumulation of functional components by regulating amino acid and lipid metabolism pathways. This study provided a theoretical basis for the quality optimization of GABA mulberry leaf tea and confirmed that GABA has the dual role of flavor-enhancing and functional components in mulberry leaf tea.

In recent years, the quality of rice wine has been greatly improved by multibacterial fermentation. In this study, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera (Sf) was selected as the experimental material to perform intensive fermentation of northeastern round glutinous rice (Db) and Yunzihong No. 23 (Zh). Anqi rice wine koji (Rl) served as the fermenting agent. The differences in the quality of rice wine before and after the addition of snap capsule-covering yeast were compared by determining the dynamic changes in the physicochemical properties, amino acids, and flavour-related compounds during rice wine fermentation. The results showed that adding Sf significantly (p<0.05) increased the contents of alcohol, organic acids, and amino acids and imparted a new characteristic flavour to rice wine, resulting in more intense caramel and vinegar flavours. Overall, these results offer baseline information for using Sf in rice wine fermentation.

Western Sichuan Yi suancai contains a group of highly functional microorganisms in an alpine and high-altitude ecological environment. Due to its unique salt-free fermentation process, it is nutritious and has a crispy texture. Six periods were established during fermentation: day 0, day 2, day 5, day 8, day 11, and day 14. The results showed that the antioxidant capacity and organic acid content increased during the fermentation process, while the pH gradually decreased, indicating that suancai from the later periods was better for supplementing the human body with acid substances and eliminating free radicals. Twenty-six flavour compounds were identified, including alcohols, esters, ketones, and acids. Ethyl alcohol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, ethyl methanoate, and acetic acid were the main contributors to the flavour, imparting floral and fruity notes to the suancai. Five dominant bacterial genera (Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Weissella, Klebsiella, and unclassified_o__Lactobacillales) were identified via high-throughput sequencing during the fermentation process, and there were nine dominant fungal genera (Dipodascaceae_gen_Incertae_sedis, Mucor, Pichia, unclassified__f__Dipodascaceaet, Cyberlindnera, Diutina, Trichosporon, Saccharomycopsis, and Wickerhamomyces). Correlation analysis showed that the antioxidant capacity was positively correlated with genera such as Lactobacillus, Mucor, and Alternaria, indicating that these microorganisms have important roles in enhancing the antioxidant properties of suancai. Meanwhile, some genera, such as Microbacterium, Herbaspirillum, Mortierella, and Sampaiozyma, promote the synthesis of alcohols, esters, acids, and ketones. This study revealed the interactions between microorganisms and metabolites during the fermentation of western Sichuan Yi suancai and provided a scientific basis for further understanding the fermentation mechanism of traditional suancai and improving the fermentation process.

The aim of this study was to conduct a thorough scientific investigation into the similarities and differences in the quality of the cellars of different Luzhou-flavor liquor wineries in Yibin production area and the reasons for them. This study analyzed cellar mud samples from five wineries in Yibin production area. The analysis of volatile flavor compounds was carried out using headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The bacterial and archaeal community structures and their correlations were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. The study indicates that the Distillery A had the highest levels of ammonium nitrogen and effective phosphorus, Distillery F had the highest humus levels, and Distillery I had the highest pH levels. The community structure of the principal bacterial and archaeal communities in the five subterranean clays exhibited similarity, and all samples were dominated by Firmicutes as the primary bacterial group. However, there was variation in bacterial abundance. The cellar mud also has obvious regional differences, and there are three genera of differentially dominant archaea in the archaea. In summary, significant differences were observed in the physicochemical indexes of bacterial and archaeal abundance across all five samples. These differences led to variations in both the content and composition of volatile constituents.

In this experiment, we explored the chemical composition and community structure of Mulberry “Wuhedashi” (Morus alba L., hereinafter referred to as WHDS) in different stages and obtained data support for its resource utilisation. Five ripening stages were established: S1, deep-red stage; S2, red with black stage; S3, black with red stage; S4, black stage; S5, overripe stage. The results showed that there were significant differences in the indicators of WHDS in the different stages. Immature WHDS contains high levels of amino acids (2.14 ± 0.15 mg/g), organic acids (43.10 ± 0.75 mg/g), K (3019.52 ± 78.00 mg/L), and Ca (1617.86 ± 24.45 mg/L) and is an important source of amino acid and mineral supplementation for the body. Total phenolic compounds (26.15 ± 0.43 g/L), total flavonoids (2.46 ± 0.03 g/L), total anthocyanins (587.60 ± 7.38 mg/L), the ABTS radical scavenging rate (94.20 ± 2.18%), the DPPH radical scavenging rate (95.13 ± 1.44%), and total flavour compounds (1279.09 ± 33.50 mg/L) peaked at S4, which is the optimal stage for the consumption and processing of WHDS. High-throughput sequencing identified 10 dominant genera, including Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Pseudomonas, and Tatumella. Nesterenkonia was the most highly associated micro-organism. Bacterial genera such as Pantoea and Pseudomonas were significantly positively correlated with esters, enhancing the floral and fruity flavours of wine. The results of the study revealed the characteristics of WHDS in different stages, which can help to target the development of nutritious mulberry derivatives and provide a reference for enhancing the added value of mulberry.

The addition of oak chips is one of the basic techniques for artificial aging of brandy, but its effect on mulberry brandy flavor is unknown. In this study, the effect of oak chips addition on the aging of mulberry brandy and the evolution of volatile compounds during the aging process were investigated using flavoromics techniques. The results showed that the 15 g/l oak chips had the highest ethyl acetate content and the highest sensory scores at 30 °C aging conditions, with the tannin and total phenol contents at 233.7 ± 6.4 mg/l and 15.83 ± 1.18 mg/l, respectively. Through Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and correlation analysis, 12 essential compounds during aging were identified, among which Ethyl acetate, Whiskey lactone, Furfural, and Vanillin also showed a positive correlation with aroma intensity, positively influencing the quality of mulberry brandy, resulting in a richer brandy flavor. The results of the study provide a theoretical basis and reference for the artificial aging technology of mulberry brandy.

Pit mud (PM) is among the key factors determining the quality of Nongxiangxing baijiu, a Chinese liquor. Microorganisms present inside PM are crucial for the unique taste and flavor of this liquor. In this study, headspace solid-phase microextraction was used in combination with gas chromatography and high-throughput sequencing to determine the volatile compounds and microbial community structure of 10- and 40-year PM samples from different spaces. The basic physicochemical properties of the PM were also determined. LEfSe and RDA were used to systematically study the PM in different time spaces. The physicochemical properties and ester content of the 40-year PM were higher than those of the 10-year PM, but the spatial distribution of the two years PM samples exhibited no consistency, except in terms of pH, available phosphorus content, and ester content. In all samples, 29 phyla, 276 families, and 540 genera of bacteria, including four dominant phyla and 20 dominant genera, as well as eight phyla, 24 families, and 34 genera of archaea, including four dominant phyla and seven dominant genera, were identified. The LEfSe analysis yielded 18 differential bacteria and five differential archaea. According to the RDA, the physicochemical properties and ethyl caproate, ethyl octanoate, hexanoic acid, and octanoic acid positively correlated with the differential microorganisms of the 40-year PM, whereas negatively correlated with the differential microorganisms of the 10-year PM. Thus, we inferred that Caproiciproducens, norank_f__Caloramatoraceae, and Methanobrevibacter play a dominant and indispensable role in the PM. This study systematically unveils the differences that affect the quality of PM in different time spaces and offers a theoretical basis for improving the declining PM, promoting PM aging, maintaining cellars, and cultivating an artificial PM at a later stage.

In order to improve the taste and antioxidant capacity of Tartary buckwheat. Using reducing power and SOD activity as main indexes, four strains of Lactobacillus plantarum (LBS8, MRS5), Lactobacillus paracareflora (MC6) and Lactobacillus paracei (SL1) were investigated to enhance the fermentation of Tartary buckwheat Jiaosu. An excellent strain was screened out and the effects of inoculation amount, initial sugar degree, fermentation temperature and solid-liquid ratio on the fermentation of Tartary buckwheat were studied. The fermentation process of Tartary buckwheat was optimized by completely randomalized design and orthogonal experimental design. The results showed that LBS8 fermentation Tartary buckwheat had strong reducing ability and SOD activity. Inoculation amount of 6%, initial sugar degree of 16 Brix, fermentation temperature of 32 ℃, solid-liquid ratio of 1:7 were the optimum conditions. Under this condition, the reducing power of the obtained Jiaosu was 0.753 mg/mL, the SOD activity was 272.12 U/mL, the total content of flavone was 0.521 mg/mL, the total content of phenol was 2.75 mg/mL, and the content of glutathione was 0.273 mg/mL. Compared with the control group, there were significant improvements. Through GC-MS analysis, tartary buckwheat Jiaosu contains characteristic aroma substances such as ethyl acetate, ethyl linoleate, ethyl undecanoate, and butanedione, giving tartary buckwheat Jiaosu a unique flavor. Compared with commercially available starter cultures, the total flavonoids, polyphenols, glutathione, reducing power and antioxidant capacity of Lactobacillus plantarum enhanced fermentation increased by 247%, 2%, 36.5%, 30.73% and 30.09%, respectively. The flavor and taste of Lactobacillus plantarum enhanced fermentation was richer than that of commercially available starter cultures. The results indicated that inoculation with Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation was beneficial to improve the quality of Tartary buckwheat fermentation.

Mulberry is gaining attention for its potential health benefits. However, post-harvest deterioration of quality necessitates drying to prolong storage. This study aimed to investigate the effects of natural drying (ND), hot air drying (HAD), and vacuum freeze drying (VFD) on bioactive compounds and volatile organic compounds of fresh mulberries. The results showed that VFD had the highest retention of total phenols (5 553.87 +/- 744.97 mu g GAE center dot g-1) (GAE -gallic acid equivalent), total flavonoids (3 575.51 +/- 465.98 mu g rutin center dot g-1), and total anthocyanins (64.98 +/- 13.15 mu g C3C center dot g-1) after prolonged drying. Additionally, flavour was identified as the most important indicator influencing consumer pref-erence for dried mulberries, and VFD was found to be effective in retaining the natural flavours of mulberries. Although thermal treatment leads to a significant loss of organic compounds, HAD showed good retention of active substances and lower energy consumption in a shorter processing time.

Taking the content of GABA as the evaluation index,based on single factor experiment,L9（3~3）orthogonal design method was adopted to study the effects of sodium glutamate concentration,deactivation power and deactivation time on GABA content of mulberry leaf tea,and to determine the best technology for making mulberry leaf tea with high GABA content.The results showed that the main factors affecting GABA content were sodium glutamate concentration,deactivation time and deactivation power in turn.After orthogonal test,the optimum process parameters were 5% concentration of sodium glutamate,210 W of deactivation power and 2 min of deactivation time.Under this condition,maximum GABA content is 10.81 mg/g,and the content of 1-deoxynojirimycin （DNJ） was also increased.

该试验以桑葚白兰地发酵酒为原料,采用二次蒸馏的方法对桑葚白兰地发酵酒进行蒸馏,并分别测定两次馏出液的酒精度、甲醇和高级醇含量.在此基础上,通过感官品评、气相色谱-质谱联用的技术重点研究第二次蒸馏的不同摘酒组合方式对桑葚白兰地原酒品质的影响,确定桑葚白兰地的最适蒸馏工艺.结果表明,在两次蒸馏过程中,酒精度和甲醇、高级醇含量都随蒸馏的进行呈下降趋势.以挥发性风味物质、甲醇和高级醇含量和感官品评为评价指标,在四个不同摘酒组合中,C3组合(馏出液的3～7段)的综合评价最高,其酒精度为59.5％vol、甲醇质量浓度为170.94 mg/L、高级醇质量浓度为745.26 mg/L,酒体澄清透明、香味协调、风格明显.最终确定桑葚白兰地原酒的最佳工艺为C3组合:进行两次蒸馏,第二次馏出液为第一次馏出液的68.75％,摘取二次馏出液的3～7段,该研究以期为高品质桑葚白兰地的酿造奠定基础.

为探究浓香型白酒窖泥中原核微生物群落对挥发性风味物质的影响,本研究采用高通量测序技术和HS-SPME-GC-MS联用技术,检测原核微生物群落结构和挥发性风味物质种类,并利用Pearson指数分析窖泥微生物与挥发性风味物质的相关性.结果表明:窖泥中共检出62种挥发性风味物质,其中酯类、酸类、醇类含量最高,己酸乙酯和己酸分别是酯类和酸类中含量最高的物质;发现4个优势细菌门和2个优势古菌门,17个优势细菌属和4个优势古菌属,其中厚壁菌门和广古菌门是窖泥中的绝对优势菌门,乙酸氧化菌属、产己酸菌属和甲烷杆菌属是窖泥中的绝对优势菌属;有14个细菌属和2个古菌属分别与23种和11种挥发性风味物质的产生显著相关(P＜0.05).

Baijiu industry is the characteristic and competitive industry in Luzhou,and it has made great contributions to regional so-cial and economic development.Luzhou Baijiu industry is faced with many opportunities and challenges since 2021,such as industri-al policy adjustment,the COVID-19 epidemic,Sino-US trade disputes,and China's accelerating construction of a new development pattern.In this study,in order to explore the transformation and upgrading path of Luzhou Baijiu industry under the new situations,we systematically reviewed relevant literature from the perspective of industry development.Combined with in-depth investigation,discussion and other methods,we analyzed the current situation and existing problems of Luzhou Baijiu industry.On this basis,we put forward several suggestions for the transformation and upgrading of Luzhou Baijiu industry.