Research Progress and Development Trends of Baijiu Pit Mud: A Bibliometric Analysis

In order to provide valuable information on the current status of research and the hot topics in the field of Baijiu pit mud, a comprehensive bibliometric visual analysis was carried out on 522 pieces of Chinese literature and 112 pieces of English literature in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases published from 1980 to 2021. Knowledge graph analysis from the perspectives of annual publication volume, authors and their institutions, highly cited articles and keywords was conducted to summarize recent progress and to predict future trends in this field. Research on Baijiu pit mud is of great significance for the high-quality development of the Baijiu industry and Baijiu quality improvement. The amount of research literature in the field of Baijiu pit mud has shown a trend of fluctuating growth over the past one decade, but it has not yet reached a mature stage, which still has broad development prospects. Chinese scholars are the main force in the field of Baijiu pit mud research. The literature published by the major contributors to this field such as Zhang Wenxue, Tang Yuming, Zhou Rongqing, Wu Chongde, and Xu Yan has a great influence and high academic value. The major institutions that have researched Baijiu pit mud include Sichuan University, Sichuan University of Science Engineering, and Jiangnan University. The research hotspots mainly focus on microbial communities, artificial pit mud, organic acids, butyric acid bacteria, functional bacteria, and so on. The information presented in this paper can help researchers in understanding the current trends and future directions in Baijiu pit mud research and in conducting scientific research and academic exchanges.