Spatiotemporal Dynamics of 2‐methoxy‐4‐vinylphenol Production Driven By Microbial–Environmental Interactions During Zaopei Fermentation of Strong‐Flavor Baijiu

ABSTRACT 2‐Methoxy‐4‐vinylphenol (4‐vg) is a key bioactive phenolic compound that confers flavor complexity and health benefits in strong‐flavor Baijiu (SFB), but its dynamic formation during fermentation remains unclear. In solid‐state heterogeneous fermentation system, material formation depends on coordinated microbial–environmental interactions. Single‐strain or single‐factor manipulation tends to disrupt the holistic microecological balance and cause abnormal fermentation. A stratified sampling strategy with independent biological replicates was employed to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of 4‐vg formation during Zaopei fermentation. Integrated multi‐omics techniques to reveal the temporal and spatial interaction between 4‐vg metabolism, microbial succession and physicochemical factors in Zaopei . Laccase and peroxidase may be involved in the conversion of lignin substrates in the early stage (0–25 days) and promote the release of ferulic acid precursors. In the middle and late stages of fermentation (25–85 days), the high‐abundance microorganisms dominated by Acetilactobacillus formed an acidified environment, which promoted the metabolic activity of ferulic acid decarboxylase, which may contribute to the synthesis and accumulation of 4‐vg. Metagenomic analysis further revealed significant enrichment of genes involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism and ferulic acid decarboxylation during the high‐yield stage of 4‐vg production. Network analysis revealed that the microbial community had obvious vertical differences, which was characterized by substrate degradation in the upper layer, metabolic transformation in the middle layer and flavor synthesis in the lower layer. Overall, coordinated microbial succession and environmental differentiation were closely associated with 4‐vg biosynthesis during SFB fermentation, offering insights for microecology‐oriented regulation of phenolic flavor and Baijiu quality.