{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,25]],"date-time":"2026-10-25T02:32:06Z","timestamp":1792895526387,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,21]],"date-time":"2025-12-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766275200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Sichuan Science and Technology Program","award":["2024ZYD0324"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024ZYD0324"]}]},{"name":"Strategic Cooperation Project of Sichuan University\u2014Luzhou Municipal People\u2019s Government","award":["2023CDLZ-8"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023CDLZ-8"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Aldehyde compounds are crucial for the flavor profile of Baijiu; however, their metabolic interplay with microbial communities remains inadequately understood. This study demonstrates that the dynamics of aldehydes during Sauce-Flavor Baijiu (SFB) fermentation are primarily driven by stage-specific microbial activities. Based on microbial succession patterns, the fermentation process was divided into early (0\u20137 days) and late (20\u201330 days) stages. Seven major aldehydes were identified, with furfural being the dominant component, accounting for over 70% of the total aldehyde content. An integrated Environmental\u2013Microbe\u2013Flavor analysis systematically revealed stage-dependent microbial-metabolite interactions. In the early stage, dominant microorganisms such as Fusarium and Apiotrichum scarabaeorum consumed substrates including starch and reducing sugars. Their growth was strongly promoted by increasing ethanol levels and temperature, thereby accelerating aldehyde transformation. As fermentation progressed, moisture emerged as a key regulatory factor, showing a significant negative correlation with Paenibacillus, suggesting that moisture may shape aldehyde metabolism by modulating microbial community structure. Further moisture regulation (51.1\u201352.7%) applied in the seventh fermentation cycle showed that increased moisture in Zaopei was inversely correlated with aldehyde transformation efficiency (88.3\u201375.5%). This study elucidates the moisture-mediated regulatory mechanism underlying microbial metabolism and aldehyde conversion, offering novel insights for optimizing the fermentation process of SFB.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15010017","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T07:01:33Z","timestamp":1766386893000},"page":"17","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Process Regulation of Microbial-Driven Aldehyde Metabolism in Sauce-Flavor Baijiu Fermentation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Bo","family":"Chen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Sichuan Langjiu Co., Ltd., Luzhou 646523, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Cheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sichuan Langjiu Co., Ltd., Luzhou 646523, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yiyun","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sichuan Langjiu Co., Ltd., Luzhou 646523, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ying","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food and Liquor Engineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Yibin 644005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jixiang","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food and Liquor Engineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Yibin 644005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huibo","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food and Liquor Engineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Yibin 644005, China"},{"name":"Brewing Science and Technology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Yibin 644005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dan","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food and Liquor Engineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Yibin 644005, China"},{"name":"Brewing Science and Technology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Yibin 644005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3952-0025","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wenhua","family":"Tong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food and Liquor Engineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Yibin 644005, China"},{"name":"Brewing Science and Technology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Yibin 644005, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yadong","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sichuan Langjiu Co., Ltd., Luzhou 646523, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114173","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lwt.2022.114173","article-title":"Turning over fermented grains elevating heap temperature and driving microbial community succession during the heap fermentation of sauce-flavor baijiu","volume":"172","author":"Chen","year":"2022","journal-title":"LWT"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"130920","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2021.130920","article-title":"Flavor mystery of Chinese traditional fermented baijiu: The great contribution of ester compounds","volume":"369","author":"Xu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105570","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2023.105570","article-title":"Environmental factors induced metabolome shifts during Laobaigan-flavor Baijiu fermentation","volume":"123","author":"Geng","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. 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