Temperature-Driven Divergence in Microbial Consortia and Physicochemical Functionality: A Comparative Study of High- and Medium-Temperature <i>Daqu</i>
<i>Daqu</i>, a crucial fermentation starter for Chinese <i>Baijiu</i>, develops distinct microbial and physicochemical profiles depending on fermentation temperature, which significantly influence enzymatic activity and flavor formation. While high-temperature (HT-<i>Da...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Huawei Yuan Jia Zheng Liping Ding Hong Wang Qin Jiang Chao Zhang Tingna Xie Guohui Nan Li Li Kai Lou |
| author_facet | Huawei Yuan Jia Zheng Liping Ding Hong Wang Qin Jiang Chao Zhang Tingna Xie Guohui Nan Li Li Kai Lou |
| author_sort | Huawei Yuan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Daqu</i>, a crucial fermentation starter for Chinese <i>Baijiu</i>, develops distinct microbial and physicochemical profiles depending on fermentation temperature, which significantly influence enzymatic activity and flavor formation. While high-temperature (HT-<i>Daqu</i>, 65 °C) and medium-temperature (MT-<i>Daqu</i>, 60 °C) variants are known to produce different liquor aromas, systematic comparisons of their microbial and physicochemical dynamics remain limited. This study integrated physicochemical assays (moisture, starch, acidity, enzymatic activity) with 16S rRNA and ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) sequencing to analyze HT-<i>Daqu</i> (HQ1–HQ3) and MT-<i>Daqu</i> (MQ1–MQ3) from Sichuan breweries. Results revealed that HT-<i>Daqu</i> exhibited significantly lower moisture (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and starch content (<i>p</i> < 0.05) but higher acidity <i>(p</i> < 0.05) compared to MT-<i>Daqu</i>. Enzymatic activities were generally reduced in HT-<i>Daqu</i>, except for neutral protease. Microbial profiling revealed distinct microbial dynamics between HT-<i>Daqu</i> and MT-<i>Daqu</i>: HT-<i>Daqu</i> harbored thermophilic <i>Bacillus</i> (40–60% relative abundance) with reduced fungal diversity, while MT-<i>Daqu</i> prioritized fungal consortia—<i>Aspergillus</i> dominated MQ1 (78%) and <i>Saccharomyces</i> transiently peaked in MQ2 (35%)—which correlated with enhanced saccharification enzyme activities and esterification potential. Alpha-diversity indices confirmed higher bacterial diversity in HT-<i>Daqu</i> and greater fungal richness in MT-<i>Daqu</i>. Correlation networks highlighted temperature-driven linkages, such as <i>Bacillus</i> positively associating with acidity. These findings elucidate the trade-offs between microbial stress adaptation and metabolic efficiency under different thermal regimes, providing actionable insights for optimizing <i>Daqu</i> production through targeted microbial management and temperature control to enhance liquor quality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-45702d3f961c48c896b65fe74a4e53c7 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-45702d3f961c48c896b65fe74a4e53c72025-08-20T03:16:23ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-06-01136131210.3390/microorganisms13061312Temperature-Driven Divergence in Microbial Consortia and Physicochemical Functionality: A Comparative Study of High- and Medium-Temperature <i>Daqu</i>Huawei Yuan0Jia Zheng1Liping Ding2Hong Wang3Qin Jiang4Chao Zhang5Tingna Xie6Guohui Nan7Li Li8Kai Lou9Solid-State Fermentation Resource Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Faculty of Quality Management and Inspection Quarantine, Sichuan Higher Education Engineering Research Center for Agri-Food Standardization and Inspection, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, ChinaYibin Wuliangye Co., Ltd., Yibin 644007, ChinaSolid-State Fermentation Resource Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Faculty of Quality Management and Inspection Quarantine, Sichuan Higher Education Engineering Research Center for Agri-Food Standardization and Inspection, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, ChinaYibin Wuliangye Co., Ltd., Yibin 644007, ChinaSolid-State Fermentation Resource Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Faculty of Quality Management and Inspection Quarantine, Sichuan Higher Education Engineering Research Center for Agri-Food Standardization and Inspection, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, ChinaSolid-State Fermentation Resource Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Faculty of Quality Management and Inspection Quarantine, Sichuan Higher Education Engineering Research Center for Agri-Food Standardization and Inspection, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, ChinaSolid-State Fermentation Resource Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Faculty of Quality Management and Inspection Quarantine, Sichuan Higher Education Engineering Research Center for Agri-Food Standardization and Inspection, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, ChinaSolid-State Fermentation Resource Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Faculty of Quality Management and Inspection Quarantine, Sichuan Higher Education Engineering Research Center for Agri-Food Standardization and Inspection, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, ChinaSolid-State Fermentation Resource Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Faculty of Quality Management and Inspection Quarantine, Sichuan Higher Education Engineering Research Center for Agri-Food Standardization and Inspection, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, ChinaSolid-State Fermentation Resource Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Faculty of Quality Management and Inspection Quarantine, Sichuan Higher Education Engineering Research Center for Agri-Food Standardization and Inspection, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, China<i>Daqu</i>, a crucial fermentation starter for Chinese <i>Baijiu</i>, develops distinct microbial and physicochemical profiles depending on fermentation temperature, which significantly influence enzymatic activity and flavor formation. While high-temperature (HT-<i>Daqu</i>, 65 °C) and medium-temperature (MT-<i>Daqu</i>, 60 °C) variants are known to produce different liquor aromas, systematic comparisons of their microbial and physicochemical dynamics remain limited. This study integrated physicochemical assays (moisture, starch, acidity, enzymatic activity) with 16S rRNA and ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) sequencing to analyze HT-<i>Daqu</i> (HQ1–HQ3) and MT-<i>Daqu</i> (MQ1–MQ3) from Sichuan breweries. Results revealed that HT-<i>Daqu</i> exhibited significantly lower moisture (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and starch content (<i>p</i> < 0.05) but higher acidity <i>(p</i> < 0.05) compared to MT-<i>Daqu</i>. Enzymatic activities were generally reduced in HT-<i>Daqu</i>, except for neutral protease. Microbial profiling revealed distinct microbial dynamics between HT-<i>Daqu</i> and MT-<i>Daqu</i>: HT-<i>Daqu</i> harbored thermophilic <i>Bacillus</i> (40–60% relative abundance) with reduced fungal diversity, while MT-<i>Daqu</i> prioritized fungal consortia—<i>Aspergillus</i> dominated MQ1 (78%) and <i>Saccharomyces</i> transiently peaked in MQ2 (35%)—which correlated with enhanced saccharification enzyme activities and esterification potential. Alpha-diversity indices confirmed higher bacterial diversity in HT-<i>Daqu</i> and greater fungal richness in MT-<i>Daqu</i>. Correlation networks highlighted temperature-driven linkages, such as <i>Bacillus</i> positively associating with acidity. These findings elucidate the trade-offs between microbial stress adaptation and metabolic efficiency under different thermal regimes, providing actionable insights for optimizing <i>Daqu</i> production through targeted microbial management and temperature control to enhance liquor quality.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1312Chinese <i>Baijiu</i>thermophilic bacteria<i>Bacillus</i><i>Aspergillus</i>metabolic trade-offs |
| spellingShingle | Huawei Yuan Jia Zheng Liping Ding Hong Wang Qin Jiang Chao Zhang Tingna Xie Guohui Nan Li Li Kai Lou Temperature-Driven Divergence in Microbial Consortia and Physicochemical Functionality: A Comparative Study of High- and Medium-Temperature <i>Daqu</i> Microorganisms Chinese <i>Baijiu</i> thermophilic bacteria <i>Bacillus</i> <i>Aspergillus</i> metabolic trade-offs |
| title | Temperature-Driven Divergence in Microbial Consortia and Physicochemical Functionality: A Comparative Study of High- and Medium-Temperature <i>Daqu</i> |
| title_full | Temperature-Driven Divergence in Microbial Consortia and Physicochemical Functionality: A Comparative Study of High- and Medium-Temperature <i>Daqu</i> |
| title_fullStr | Temperature-Driven Divergence in Microbial Consortia and Physicochemical Functionality: A Comparative Study of High- and Medium-Temperature <i>Daqu</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temperature-Driven Divergence in Microbial Consortia and Physicochemical Functionality: A Comparative Study of High- and Medium-Temperature <i>Daqu</i> |
| title_short | Temperature-Driven Divergence in Microbial Consortia and Physicochemical Functionality: A Comparative Study of High- and Medium-Temperature <i>Daqu</i> |
| title_sort | temperature driven divergence in microbial consortia and physicochemical functionality a comparative study of high and medium temperature i daqu i |
| topic | Chinese <i>Baijiu</i> thermophilic bacteria <i>Bacillus</i> <i>Aspergillus</i> metabolic trade-offs |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1312 |
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