Science-Driven Microbiome Control of Chinese Liquor Fermentation

Summary

Although fermented foods production has been improved with regard to reproducibility and production scale since the last century, a fully rationale and science-driven control of most food fermentation is still far from desire, especially for fermented foods with complex flavour characteristics. To produce consistent high quality fermented foods worldwide, uncontrolled fermentation processes are facing the challenge of modernization, standardization and sustainability. The fermentation of Chinese liquor (known as baijiu), containing more than 400 flavour compounds and hundreds of microbes, is probably the most complex fermentation system among all fermented foods. Understanding the mechanisms of flavour formations and microbial control principles in Chinese liquor fermentation would greatly benefit the control of similar or less complex fermented foods. In this thesis, the flavour is chosen as the criteria to enhance science-driven control of traditional Chinese liquor fermentation. We reveal the microbiological mechanism behind flavour formation and create models to help regulate the microbiome rationally, thereby achieving efficient, high-quality, and stable fermentation processes.