The dynamics of volatile compounds and their correlation with the microbial succession during the traditional solid-state fermentation of Gutian Hong Qu glutinous rice wine.

Gutian Hong Qu glutinous rice wine (GHQW) is a representative alcoholic beverage in China. During its traditional brewing process, multiple strains are involved. However, the roles of these microorganisms, particularly their contributions to aroma formation, are poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, the dynamics of volatile components and microbial succession during the traditional fermentation process of GHQW were monitored, by using HS-SPME-GC/MS and high throughput 16 S rRNA and ITS sequencing techniques. Following a 32-day semi-open solid-state fermentation, massive changes in volatile profile and microbial communities were observed. Based on these, the potential correlations between volatile components and microorganisms during the fermentation were explored by using Pearson correlation analysis. It was revealed that 3 bacterial taxa, including Lactococcus lactis, Burkholderia gladioli and Cronobacter helveticus, and 5 fungal taxa, including Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus vitricola, Aspergillus penicillioides and Monascus purpureus, showed strong connections with various volatile components. Thus these bacteria and fungi might play crucial roles in volatile components biosynthesis, and thus were preliminary considered as core functional microorganisms for GHQW brewing. The detailed information on the dynamic changes of volatile components and microbial communities throughout GHQW brewing can further expand our understanding of the formation mechanisms of GHQW aroma.