Abstract:Aroma-producing microorganisms were screened from the microbial resources of pottery-flavored daqu. The relationship between aroma-producing microorganisms and flavoring substances in Luzhou-flavored daqu was also investigated. Functional aroma-producing microorganisms were identified using various molecular biology techniques. Multiple strains of bacteria (37) and yeast (22) were isolated and purified from the various fermentation stages of pottery-flavored daqu by traditional microbial separation. Each strain was separately cultured in wheat solid growth medium. The sensory evaluation (smell test) showed that the individual strain YSY04 could produce strong flavors after fermentation. The volatile components present in the fermentation products of the strains were identified by headspace solid-phase micro extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). This analysis identified a number of flavor substances in the fermentation products of the strain. Among them, pyrazine, phenylethanol, guaiacol, 2,3-butanediol, and terpenes were identified as important flavor substances present in pottery-flavored daqu. Therefore, the strain was primarily identified as the functional aroma-producing microorganism present in pottery-flavored daqu. Morphological observation and molecular biology identification analysis confirmed that the YSY04 strain belonged to the species Wickerhamomyces anomalus.
