Abstract: Fuzhuan brick tea samples collected from a production line of Yiyang Tea Factory Co. Ltd. at different stages of production was tracked for variations in microbial populations by plate dilution method. Meanwhile the dominant fungus “Jinhua” was purified from them, and its sexual and asexual spores were cultivated inductively for morphological observations under light and electron microscopes and 18S rDNA analysis. Moreover, taxonomic identification of this strain was carried out. During the pile-fermentation process, the dominant microbes were yeast, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Rhizopus rather than “Jinhua” fungus. However, “Jinhua” fungus progressively became dominant during its growth stage after tea was compressed into bricks. Based on its morphological characteristics and 18S rDNA sequence, the fungus was identified as Eurotiμm cristatμm.

Key words: Fuzhuan brick tea, microorganism, dynamic changes of microbial populations, Eurotiμm cristatμm