Microbial Dynamics in a Musalais Wine Fermentation: A Metagenomic Study

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the microbial dynamics involved in the fermentation process of traditional Musalais wine, an intangible cultural heritage of Xinjiang. Utilizing metagenomic sequencing, we identified 2894 microbial species, of which 494 persisted throughout the ferment...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yongzeng Pei, Mengrong Chen, Qiling Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Foods
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2570
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the microbial dynamics involved in the fermentation process of traditional Musalais wine, an intangible cultural heritage of Xinjiang. Utilizing metagenomic sequencing, we identified 2894 microbial species, of which 494 persisted throughout the fermentation process. <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> was the dominant species, with its prevalence increasing from 97.35% in the early phase to 99.38% in the mid phase, before slightly decreasing to 98.79% in the late phase. Additionally, 24 non-<i>Saccharomyces</i> yeast species, including <i>Hanseniaspora uvarum</i>, <i>Lachancea thermotolerans</i>, and <i>Torulaspora delbrueckii,</i> were detected. Common species associated with other fermented foods, including <i>Wickerhamomyces anomalus</i>, <i>Kluyveromyces marxianus</i>, <i>Saccharomyces eubayanus</i>, and <i>Zygosaccharomyces parabailii</i>, were also identified. Notably, species not previously used in food fermentation, such as <i>Saccharomyces jurei</i>, <i>Sodiomyces alkalinus</i>, <i>Vanrija pseudolonga</i>, and <i>Moesziomyces antarcticus</i>, were also identified in this study. Furthermore, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KO) and Gene Ontology (GO) revealed notable variations in metabolic pathways and enriched functional genes. In addition, a total of 82 volatile compounds were detected in the final product, with higher alcohols (60.12%), esters (37.80%), and organic acids (1.80%) being the most prevalent. These results offer important insights into microbial interactions and their influence on Musalais wine quality, laying the groundwork for optimizing the fermentation process.
ISSN:2304-8158