Abstract: In this study, the archaeal community structure in pit mud from cellars of different ages used for the production of Luzhou-flavor liquor was researched by high-throughput sequencing technology. The diversity of archaeal community was analyzed and cluster analysis of pit mud with different cellar ages was performed based on the obtained data. Also, we investigated the effect of environmental factors on the archaeal community structure of pit mud with different cellar ages. The results were obtained as follows. The main archaeal phylum in the pit mud samples was Euryarchaeota (99% of OTU), consisting of 7 genera. The diversity of archaeal community showed a decreasing trend with increasing age of pit mud. Similarly, the dominance of Methanobacterium and Methanocorpusculum showed a decreasing trend with increasing age of pit mud, contrary to Thermoplasmatales. Similarity of archaeal community structure between pit mud from 5-year-old cellars and pit mud from 100-year-old cellars was higher, while the diversity of archaeal community in pit mud from 30-year-old cellars was higher. The environmental factors with the greatest effect on the archaeal community structure of pit mud from different aged cellars were different. In summary, the archaeal community structure in pit mud with different cellar ages showed a significant difference, which might be part of what causes the different qualities of Luzhou-flavor liquor produced from pit mud with different cellar ages.

Key words: archaeal community structure, high-throughput sequencing, cluster analysis, Luzhou-flavor liquor, pit mud