Microbial community spatial structures in Luzhou-flavored liquor pit muds with different brewing materials

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Fermentation Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Luzhou-flavored liquor production relies on pit mud microbiomes, with Bacteroidetes, Clostridiales, and Lactobacillales identified as key components.
• The impact of diverse brewing materials on the spatial structure of these pit mud microbiomes remains largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of different brewing ingredients on the microbial community diversity and spatial heterogeneity in Luzhou-flavored liquor pit mud.
• To analyze the structural characteristics and spatial distribution of pit mud microbial communities using advanced sequencing and statistical methods.

Main Methods:

• High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene (V4-V5 region) was employed to profile prokaryotic communities.
• Bioinformatics and multivariate statistical analyses were utilized to examine microbial community structure and spatial distribution.
• Comparison of pit mud microbiomes from different brewing ingredients (M3G vs. M5G) and varying depths (upper, middle, bottom layers).

Main Results:

• Dominant phyla identified include Euryarchaeota, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Synergistetes, Tenericutes, and WWE1.
• Microbial diversity (Shannon and Simpson indices) varied significantly with brewing ingredients and depth, with M3G showing lower diversity in the upper layer and M5G in the bottom layer.
• Distinct microbial community compositions were observed between different brewing ingredients and locations within the same pit, with specific genera enriched in M3G and M5G.

Conclusions:

• Brewing ingredients and pit location significantly influence the spatial structure and composition of the pit mud microbiome in Luzhou-flavored liquor production.
• The findings provide a theoretical foundation for understanding how brewing materials and microbial spatial distribution impact liquor quality and production.