Interactions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Isolated from Light-Flavor Jiupei at Various Fermentation Temperatures

Chinese Baijiu is a famous fermented alcoholic beverage in China. Interactions between key microorganisms, i.e., <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> and <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i>, have recently been reported at specific temperatures. However, empirical evidence of their interactions at various temperatures during fermentation is lacking. The results of this study demonstrated that <i>S. cerevisiae</i> significantly suppressed the viability and lactic acid yield of <i>L. plantarum</i> when they were cocultured above 15 °C. On the other hand, <i>L. plantarum</i> had no pronounced effect on the growth and ethanol yield of <i>S. cerevisiae</i> in coculture systems. <i>S. cerevisiae</i> was the main reducing sugar consumer. Inhibition of lactic acid production was also observed when elevated cell density of <i>L. plantarum</i> was introduced into the coculture system. A proteomic analysis indicated that the enzymes involved in glycolysis, lactate dehydrogenase, and proteins related to phosphoribosyl diphosphate, ribosome, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis in <i>L. plantarum</i> were less abundant in the coculture system. Collectively, our data demonstrated the antagonistic effect of <i>S. cerevisiae</i> on <i>L. plantarum</i> and provided insights for effective process management in light-flavor Baijiu fermentation.