Objective Functional filamentous fungi with exceptional brewing capacity in the traditional Wuyi Hongqu for winemaking were identified with fermentation performance characterized.

Methods Traditional Wuyi Hongqu was sampled from Fujian and surrounding regions to isolate the functional fungi by classical pure culture method and morphological observation. The factors critical for brewing, including enzyme activity, ester-producing ability, and aromatic profile generated from fermentation, of the isolated strains were individually and multi-dimensionally evaluated.

Results Significantly diverse 67 functional strains belonged to 11 species across 5 genera were isolated. Among them, Monascus purpureus FJMR24 demonstrated outstanding liquefaction and saccharification capabilities, with its amylase activity 24% and glucoamylase 78% higher than the reference strain’s. The isolate was low in producing protease but high in generating alcoholic aroma. And the fermentation product of Rhizopus delemar FJMW8 contained 3.4 times the quantity of ester as did the reference; that of Aspergillus foetidus FJMB16, though slightly lower in the content of ester, carried the characteristic rice flavor; and that of Rhizopus oryzae FJMW3 was rich in fruity note.

Conclusion The identified fungi capable of rendering unique and desirable flavoring substances from the famed traditional Wuyi Honqu could be purified to broaden the utilization or for the preparation of efficient hongqu and further the study on flavor regulation of hongqu fermentation/winemaking.