Quantitative monitoring of Bacillus licheniformis during fermentation using PCR-CRISPR/Cas12a

Bacillus licheniformis is a key functional bacterium in Baijiu fermentation and plays an essential role in the formation of flavor compounds, making its quantitative detection crucial. This study developed a CRISPR/Cas12a-based microbial nucleic acid quantification (CRMNQ) method to quantify B. licheniformis in Baijiu fermentation. This method combines efficient PCR amplification with highly specific CRISPR/Cas12a recognition, enabling quantitative analysis through end-point fluorescence measurement without the need for a quantitative real-time PCR instrument. Under optimized conditions, a limit of detection (LOD) of 72.3 copies/μL was achieved with high specificity. The method was successfully applied to monitor the dynamics of B. licheniformis in both simulated and in situ samples of Baijiu fermentation, with higher robustness and anti-interference ability compared with the qPCR method. In summary, the method provides an effective and practical tool for highly sensitive and specific detection of B. licheniformis in Baijiu fermentation, facilitating process monitoring and quality control during fermentation.