Abstract: In this paper, the structural characteristics of bacterial communities in Daqu of Maotai-flavor liquor produced in different brewing areas of Maotai town were systematically studied by high-throughput sequencing combined with mathematical analysis. A total of 532 genera of bacteria belonging to 21 phyla were detected. Aneurinibacillus, Rummeliibacillus, Morganella, Prauserella, Olivibacter, Kurthia, Janibacter, Bartonella, Myroides, and unclassified_o__Corynebacteriales and Parapusillimonas were first detected in Daqu of Maotai-flavor liquor. It was found that the bacterial diversities of Daqu from all brewing regions were rich and varied, despite high similarity in the composition of the dominant phyla, dominant genera and core genera. The dominant phyla included Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The dominant genera included Lentibacillus, Kroppenstedtia, Pantoea, Oceanobacillus and Enterobacter. Bacillus was the core bacterial genus. This similarity suggested enhanced stability of brewing microecological structure and could be considered as an important contributor to the stable production of Maotai-flavor liquor in Maotai town. The structure of bacterial communities in Daqu varied significantly more among fermentation rounds in the same brewing region than among brewing regions. The inter-regional variation was mainly in functional bacteria with low abundance. The results of this study lay a foundation for related research and provide theoretical reference and guidance for monitoring Maotai-flavor liquor production and enterprise site selection.

Key words: Maotai-flavor liquor; Daqu; bacteria; microflora structure; high-throughput sequencing