Evolution of fermented grain yeast communities in strong‐flavored baijiu and functional validation of yeasts that produce superior‐flavored substances

Abstract BACKGROUND Baijiu is a well‐known alcoholic beverage in China and the quality is determined by various microorganisms during the fermentation process. Yeast is one of the most important microorganisms in the fermentation of baijiu. It has a strong esterification capacity and also affects the aroma. RESULTS High‐throughput sequencing results showed that the fermented grains ( jiupei ) during baijiu production were mainly composed of eight highly abundant yeast species. The species and abundance of yeasts changed significantly with the fermentation process. The flavor of 30 yeast strains in the jiupei was determined by a sniffing test and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The strain with the highest flavor substance content (2.34 mg L −1 ), named YX3205, was identified as Clavispora lusitaniae . Tolerance results showed that C. lusitaniae YX3205 can tolerate up to 15% (v v −1 ) ethanol. In a solid‐state simulated fermentation experiment, the content of 24 flavor substances was significantly increased in the fortified group, and the total ester content reached 4240.73 μg kg ‐1 , which was 2.8 times higher than that of the control group. CONCLUSION The present study demonstrated the potential of C. lusitaniae YX3205 to enhance the flavor of baijiu, thereby serving as a valuable strain for the improvement of the flavor quality of baijiu. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.