Yeast and bacterial diversity, dynamics and fermentative kinetics during small-scale tequila spontaneous fermentation

The study of microbial communities associated with spontaneous fermentation of agave juice for tequila production is required to develop starter cultures that improve both yield and quality of the final product. Quantification by HPLC of primary metabolites produced during the fermentations was determined. A polyphasic approach using plate count, isolation and identification of microorganisms, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and next generation sequencing was carried out to describe the diversity and dynamics of yeasts and bacteria during small-scale spontaneous fermentations of agave juice from two-year samplings. High heterogeneity in microbial populations and fermentation parameters were observed, with bacteria showing higher diversity than yeast. The core microorganisms identified were Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus fermentum. Practices in tequila production changed during the two-year period, which affected microbial community structure and the time to end fermentation. Bacterial growth and concomitant lactic acid production were associated with low ethanol production, thus bacteria could be defined as contaminants in tequila fermentation and efforts to control them should be implemented.