The Chishui River basin,the core production terroir for Chinese sauce-flavor baijiu,is shaped by a unique interplay between its geographical features and microbial ecology.This study investigated five typical baijiu d...The Chishui River basin,the core production terroir for Chinese sauce-flavor baijiu,is shaped by a unique interplay between its geographical features and microbial ecology.This study investigated five typical baijiu distilleries and their surrounding environments along the Chishui River by integrating high-throughput sequencing,microbial source tracking(SourceTracker),and multivariate statistical analysis.We aimed to elucidate the succession patterns of the brewing microbiome as driven by geography and its regulatory role in flavor formation.Results indicated that the microbial communities in fermented grains(jiupei)exhibited sig-nificant differentiation along an altitudinal gradient,with little significant difference observed between the river’s east and west banks at similar elevations.Fungal diversity was higher in low-to-mid altitude regions(400-600 m)(Shannon index,r=0.683,p=0.003),which were enriched with functional brewing fungi such as Aspergillus and Rhodotorula.In contrast,higher altitudes(>700 m)were less suitable for brewing due to low temperatures and hypoxia inhibiting key microbial activities.SourceTracker analysis revealed that Daqu(the fermentation starter)contributed 61.42%of the bacterial community(e.g.,Bacillus,Thermoactinomyces),serving as the primary source of saccharification.The workshop environment(e.g.,floors,tools)supplied 49.90%of the fungal community(e.g.,Pichia,Saccharomycopsis fibuligera),which dominated the fermentation process.Furthermore,core microorganisms,including Acetilactobacillus jinshanensis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae,signif-icantly influenced the accumulation of key flavor compounds(e.g.,ethyl acetate,phenylethanol)through syn-ergistic metabolism.This study unveils an’altitude-ecology-flavor’ternary coupling mechanism in the microbial geography of the Chishui River basin,providing a theoretical basis for the conservation of the region’s micro-ecology and the quality control of baijiu.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22138004,22422807)the Key Research and Development Program of Sichuan Province(2024YFFK0436)National Treasure Ecological Research Synergetic Innovation Center.
文摘The Chishui River basin,the core production terroir for Chinese sauce-flavor baijiu,is shaped by a unique interplay between its geographical features and microbial ecology.This study investigated five typical baijiu distilleries and their surrounding environments along the Chishui River by integrating high-throughput sequencing,microbial source tracking(SourceTracker),and multivariate statistical analysis.We aimed to elucidate the succession patterns of the brewing microbiome as driven by geography and its regulatory role in flavor formation.Results indicated that the microbial communities in fermented grains(jiupei)exhibited sig-nificant differentiation along an altitudinal gradient,with little significant difference observed between the river’s east and west banks at similar elevations.Fungal diversity was higher in low-to-mid altitude regions(400-600 m)(Shannon index,r=0.683,p=0.003),which were enriched with functional brewing fungi such as Aspergillus and Rhodotorula.In contrast,higher altitudes(>700 m)were less suitable for brewing due to low temperatures and hypoxia inhibiting key microbial activities.SourceTracker analysis revealed that Daqu(the fermentation starter)contributed 61.42%of the bacterial community(e.g.,Bacillus,Thermoactinomyces),serving as the primary source of saccharification.The workshop environment(e.g.,floors,tools)supplied 49.90%of the fungal community(e.g.,Pichia,Saccharomycopsis fibuligera),which dominated the fermentation process.Furthermore,core microorganisms,including Acetilactobacillus jinshanensis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae,signif-icantly influenced the accumulation of key flavor compounds(e.g.,ethyl acetate,phenylethanol)through syn-ergistic metabolism.This study unveils an’altitude-ecology-flavor’ternary coupling mechanism in the microbial geography of the Chishui River basin,providing a theoretical basis for the conservation of the region’s micro-ecology and the quality control of baijiu.
