Exploring the differences in sauce-flavour Daqu from different regions and its contribution to Baijiu brewing based on microbial communities and flavours

Abstract

Abstract Daqu is an essential saccharification and fermentation agent in Baijiu brewing, and its characteristics affect the yield, quality, and flavour of Baijiu. The fundamental reason is that Daqu can provide rich microbial resources, complex enzyme systems, and raw materials for the Baijiu brewing process. In this study, three sauce-flavour Daqu from two production areas, Beijing and Guizhou, were selected to focus on discussing and analysing the main contributions of sauce-flavour Daqu itself to Baijiu brewing without interference from the external environment. The differences in the flavour composition and microbial communities of three Daqu were analysed. Microbial biomarkers were analysed by Lefse multilevel discriminant analysis for three Daqu. We found that different regions have