Metatranscriptomic insights into the effect of starters on the solid-state fermentation of Chinese liquor

It is poorly understood about the effect of inoculated starters (Daqu) on the Chinese liquor fermentation process. Here we constructed the Daqu with different microbial community composition by inoculating Bacillus licheniformis into Daqu fermentation process. Next the effect of constructed Daqu on the fermentation process was investigated from the microbial and metabolic point of view by metatranscriptomic analysis. Accordingly, we sampled the fermented grains at day 10 and 20 from the inoculated and uninoculated pits, and sequenced these samples using metatranscriptome technology and bioinformatics analysis to reveal the influence of Daqu on liquor fermentation from the microbial and metabolic point of view.