Environmental Microbiota Drives Microbial Succession and Metabolic Profiles during Chinese Liquor Fermentation

Traditional solid-state fermentation of foods and beverages is mainly carried out by complex microbial communities from raw materials, starters, and the processing environments. However, it is still unclear how the environmental microbiota influences the quality of fermented foods and beverages, especially for Chinese liquors. In this study, we utilized high-throughput sequencing, microbial source tracking, and multiphasic metabolite target analysis to analyze the origins of microbiota and the metabolic profiles during liquor fermentation. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of environmental microbiota during fermentation.