Tea has been traditionally and widely consumed in China; black tea is among the six types of tea consumed in China (Görkem et al., 2021) and is processed through deep fermentation (Zhang, Wang,

To verify whether Eurotium cristatum promotes the saccharification efficiency of glutinous rice wine is the aim of this study. Thus, Anhua black tea (containing substantial E. cristatum) is used for co-fermentation with liqueur koji in glutinous rice fermentation. The glutinous rice starch is analyzed to infer the effect of E. cristatum on saccharification efficiency, and the quality of co-fermented glutinous rice wine is evaluated. The results show that E. cristatum can contribute to the saccharification efficiency of glutinous rice wine. Saccharification efficiency reaches a maximum at 40 g 100 g −1 when 1.0 g liqueur koji and 0.6 g Anhua black tea are added in 100 g glutinous rice during the fermentation process at 32 °C for 3 days. In the glutinous rice starch, co-fermentation by E. cristatum results in increased amylose content, decreased molecular weight, smaller starch particles, and obvious crystal structure. These phenomena in the starch molecules express the mechanism of saccharification efficiency promotion by E. cristatum. What's more, the glutinous rice wine co-fermented by Anhua black tea has potential health functions for the human body and presents better sensory evaluation than the traditional one. Therefore, it is feasible and significant for the co-fermentation with E. cristatum during glutinous rice wine production.