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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Food Microbiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1532869

Effect of different years of pits on the ethyl acetate and its metabolism related microorganisms during strong-flavor Baijiu fermentation

Provisionally accepted
Jing Zhang Jing Zhang 1Yunxuan Duan Yunxuan Duan 2*Yang Lin Yang Lin 3*Jing Chen Jing Chen 1*Jie Cheng Jie Cheng 1Chuan Song Chuan Song 3*Jincen Zuo Jincen Zuo 4*Suyi Zhang Suyi Zhang 3*Yong Zuo Yong Zuo 2*
  • 1 Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 Luzhou Laojiao Group Co. Ltd., Luzhou, China
  • 4 Xichong County, Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Nanchong, Nanchong, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The esters are the most important flavor components in Baijiu as their species and content decide the style of Baijiu. During the formation of esters, pits play important roles. In this study, the main esters and their related microorganisms in different years of pits (5, 35 and 100 years) of strong-flavor Baijiu were comprehensively researched. A total of 690 bacterial genera and 155 fungal genera were detected. The microbial composition of ZPs (fermented grains) from 100 years pit was the most abundant at the genus level. A total of 177 volatile flavor components were observed, including 80 esters, 42 alcohols, 21 acids, 10 ketones and 11 aldehydes. Ethyl acetate was the lowest and ethyl caproate was relatively high in 100 years pit. 15 genera, including Lactobacillus, Pichia, Issatchenkia, Saccharomyces and Aspergillus, were positively related to the formation of four major esters and their precursors. The research demonstrated that 100 years pit was benefit for maintaining microbial diversity and controlling ethyl acetate. This study is helpful for understanding the microbial composition and succession in the fermentation process of strong-flavor Baijiu, and revealing the complex relationships between dominant genera, physicochemical properties and volatile flavor components.

    Keywords: Strong-flavor baijiu, Pits, ethyl acetate, Microbial Diversity, Volatile flavor components

    Received: 22 Nov 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Duan, Lin, Chen, Cheng, Song, Zuo, Zhang and Zuo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yunxuan Duan, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, Sichuan Province, China
    Yang Lin, Luzhou Laojiao Group Co. Ltd., Luzhou, China
    Jing Chen, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
    Chuan Song, Luzhou Laojiao Group Co. Ltd., Luzhou, China
    Jincen Zuo, Xichong County, Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Nanchong, Nanchong, China
    Suyi Zhang, Luzhou Laojiao Group Co. Ltd., Luzhou, China
    Yong Zuo, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, Sichuan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.