Correlational Analysis of the Physicochemical Indexes, Volatile Flavor Components, and Microbial Communities of High-Temperature in the Northern Region of China.

is a microbial-rich baijiu fermentation starter. The high-temperature plays an essential role in the manufacturing of sauce-flavored baijiu. However, few studies have focused on three kinds of high-temperature (white, yellow, and black ) in northern China. In this study, the physicochemical indexes, volatile flavor compounds, and microbial characteristics of the three different colors of high-temperature in northern China were comparatively analyzed to reveal their potential functions. White (WQ) exhibited the highest liquefying power and starch, and black (BQ) showed the highest saccharifying and esterifying powers. A total of 96 volatile components were identified in the three types of , and the contents of the volatile components of yellow (YQ) were the highest. The microbial community structure analysis showed that and were dominant in BQ, and were dominant in WQ, and and dominated the YQ. The RDA analysis revealed the correlation between the dominant microorganisms and different physicochemical indexes. The Spearman correlation analysis indicated that , , , , and showed positive correlations with part of the majority of the key volatile flavor compounds. This work provides a scientific basis for the actual production of different colors of high-temperature in the northern region of China for sauce-flavored baijiu.