Abstract
The purpose of this experiment was to analyze the microbial community diversity in three Daqu samples displaying different characteristics in the same Daqu fermentation chamber. A high throughput sequencing technique was used to detect the microbial abundance and diversity in these Daqu samples. Of the three samples, the microbial diversity in the Black sample (sample B) was significantly higher than in the other two. At the genus level, Saccharopolyspora, Bacillus, Lentibacillus, Staphylococcus, Kroppenstedtia, and Thermoactinomyces were the primary bacterial groups in the sesame-flavored liquor, while Thermomyces, Thermoascus, and Aspergillus represented the main fungal groups. In sample B, the dominant bacteria were Thermoactinomyces, Saccharopolyspora, and Pseudomonas. In the White sample (sample W), Thermoactinomyces was the most abundant, followed by Saccharopolyspora and Lentibacillus. Staphylococcus dominated in the Yellow sample (sample Y), followed by Bacillus and Kroppenstedtia. Regarding the fungi in the three samples, Thermomyces accounted for 93.70% in sample B, and Aspergillus dominated in sample W, while the Thermoascus and Aspergillus content were similar in the sample Y. This study examined the microbial diversity in liquor Daqu with different sesame flavors, providing a foundation for microbial regulation, while investigating the relationship between flavored liquor compounds and microorganisms.