Study on Fungal Diversity during the Pile-fermentation and Autoclaved Process of Liupao Tea

The unique sensory quality and health effect of Liupao tea are closely related to the participation of microorganisms in the pile-fermentation process. In order to explore the diversity and distribution of fungi in Liupao tea samples during the pile-fermentation and autoclaved process, traditional isolation and culture method and molecular biological identification technology were used to isolate and identify fungi from 14 samples including the Liupao raw tea, the samples of pile-fermentation process and those of autoclaved process in this study. The results were as follows: 13 genera and 39 species fungi were isolated and identified from the samples. Among them, 23 fungi were reported firstly in Liupao tea, including 3 species of golden flower fungi and 6 species of yeasts. Aspergillus and Penicillium were the dominant fungi genera in Liupao raw tea and the samples of pile-fermentation process. Only Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus sydowii, Penicillium laeve and Penicillium gerundense could be isolated from the samples after autoclaved, and other Aspergillus and Penicillium fungi were almost undetectable. Talaromyces was the dominant genus in the samples of autoclaved process. In terms of species, Aspergillus niger and Arxula adeninivorans were the dominant fungal in all tea samples. The results would enrich the cognition of fungal diversity during the processing of Liupao tea, and provide the material basis and theoretical basis for further exploring the effects of different tea source fungi on the quality of Liupao tea.