Characterisation of key odorants causing honey aroma in Feng-flavour Baijiu during the 17-year ageing process by multivariate analysis combined with foodomics

Analysis of aroma component changes and identification of irradiation markers in Luzhou-flavor liquor within one year after electron beam irradiation

Irradiation-aging technology is still in the preliminary exploration stage worldwide. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of high-energy electron beam irradiation on the aroma components and quality of Luzhou-flavor liquor irradiated with 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 kGy after storage for 30, 90, 180, 270, and 360 d. Using fold change analysis and t-test, eight possible irradiation markers were confirmed, including 2,3 butanediol (levulinic), 2,3 butanediol (endocyclic), propionic acid, isobutyric acid, ethyl propionate, dl-2-hydroxy-4-methyl valerate ethyl ester, hexyl hexanoate, and acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde and caproic acid were confirmed as aging markers for liquor aged naturally for one year. The highest sensory scores were obtained with an irradiation dose of 4 kGy and 360 d of storage and an irradiation dose of 8 kGy and 90 d of storage. The findings of this study can provide a theoretical basis for enterprises to control the quality of irradiated liquor.

Key Aroma Differences in Volatile Compounds of Aged Feng-Flavored Baijiu Determined Using Sensory Descriptive Analysis and GC×GC-TOFMS

Sensory descriptive analysis of aged feng-flavored Baijiu liquor indicated notable differences in samples of different ages. The samples of freshly distilled Baijiu and those with shorter storage times exhibit bran and fresh green flavors, whereas, with increasing storage time, honey, sweet, and floral fragrances are gradually enhanced. Samples of feng-flavored Baijiu were prepared using headspace solid-phase microextraction, followed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A total of 496 compounds were identified in all samples, mainly categorized as 14 groups of substances, including esters and aldehydes. Interestingly, 42 of these substances were found in Feng-flavored Baijiu for the first time. Chemometrics was used to analyze the key differential compounds. First, 143 differential compounds closely related to aging were preliminarily screened, and principal component analysis revealed that these compounds were separated by baijiu age. Then, 65 differential compounds were selected by partial least squares discriminant analysis. Furthermore, 43 key differential compounds were selected by combined analysis with variable importance in projection and Pearson correlation coefficients. Partial least squares regression was used to study the correlation between the sensory properties and key differential compounds, and the results indicated that most compounds were closely related to the aging period of the Baijiu. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis and reference for flavor research on feng-flavored Baijiu.

Correlational analysis of physicochemical indexes, microbial communities, and volatile components in light-flavor Daqu from north and south regions of China

Daqu is of great significance to the brewing process of Baijiu, and there are variations in the light-flavor Baijiu Daqu in different regions. However, few studies have been conducted on light-flavor Daqu from the north and south regions of China. In this study, the physicochemical indices, volatile flavor components, and microbial community structure of two types of Daqu from the north and south regions of China were comparatively analyzed. The study findings reveal that Daqu originating from the southern region of China (HB) exhibits superior moisture content, acidity, starch content, and saccharification power. In contrast, Daqu from the northern region of China (SX) displays higher fermentation, esterification, and liquefaction power. The analysis of the microbial community structure revealed that HB was dominated by Bacillus, Kroppenstedtia, Saccharomycopsis, and Thermoascus, while SX was dominated by Bacillus, Prevotella, and Saccharomycopsis. The analysis detected a total of 47 volatile components in both HB Daqu and SX Daqu. The volatile components of pyrazine were significantly more abundant in HB Daqu than in SX Daqu, while alcohol compounds were more prominent in SX Daqu than in HB Daqu. In addition, the RDA analysis established a correlation between dominant microorganisms and volatile components. Cyanobacteria, Fusobacteriota, Ascomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mucormyce exhibited positive correlations with a significant proportion of the key volatile compounds. This study establishes a scientific foundation for improving the quality of light-flavor Daqu liquor in different regions of China.

Effects of different storage containers on the flavor characteristics of Jiangxiangxing baijiu

Storage is a key factor controlling the quality of Jiangxiangxing baijiu, and storage time and the type of storage container play crucial roles in shaping the baijiu's distinct flavor. To investigate the influence of storage containers on the flavor characteristics of Jiangxiangxing baijiu, the sensory qualities, flavor components, and metal ions of Jiangxiangxing baijiu were measured during 24 months of storage in a pottery jar or a stainless steel tank. The results showed that Jiangxiangxing baijiu preserved in a pottery jar was superior to that stored in a stainless steel tank. A total of 96 flavor substances were detected, and 17 key flavor characteristic substances were screened by combining the results of odor activity values (OAV) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). A correlation heat map and redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that aluminum, cadmium, iron, cobalt, magnesium, potassium, and copper ions promoted the formation of key characteristic substances including diethoxymethane, lactic acid, 2,3-dimethyl-5-ethylpyrazine, 1-hexanol, and 2-methyl-1-propanol. Overall, the results show that 24-month pottery jar storage can promote the flavor quality of Jiangxiangxing baijiu. This study established a theoretical foundation to select the appropriate storage conditions and control the flavor quality of Jiangxiangxing baijiu.

Lactobacillus casei-derived postbiotics inhibited digestion of triglycerides, glycerol phospholipids and sterol lipids via allosteric regulation of BSSL, PTL and PLA2 to prevent obesity: perspectives on deep learning integrated multi-omics

The anti-obesity potential of probiotics has been widely reported, however their utilization in high-risk patients and potential adverse reactions have led researchers to focus their attention on postbiotics. Herein, pseudo-targeted lipidomics linked with deep learning-based metabolomics was utilized to dynamically characterize the postbiotic potential of heat-inactivated Lactobacillus casei JCM1134 supplementation after a high-fat diet in treating obesity. MG (ranged from 423.0 ± 1.4 mg L-1 to 331.45 ± 2.3 mg L-1), LPC (ranged from 13.1 ± 0.08 mg L-1 to 10.2 ± 0.1 mg L-1) and Cho (ranged from 9.0 ± 0.3 mg L-1 to 5.7 ± 0.2 mg L-1) in intestinal digestive products were significantly decreased, indicating that the digestion of lipid was inhibited. 8-C-glucosylorobol, from Lactobacillus casei, was confirmed from quantitative results and molecular simulation calculations to inhibit the transformation of TG, DG, and ChE through weakening hydrogen bonds between enzymes and substrates and reducing the binding energy. Pristimerin and 2,4-quinolinediol can effectively reduce the hydrogen bonding force between PC and phospholipase A2, which were related to the obstruction of phosphatidylcholine digestion. This research deepened the understanding of the mechanism underlying the inactivated probiotics affecting lipid digestion, establishing the critical groundwork for clinical application of probiotics in inhibiting obesity.

Chinese Baijiu and Whisky: Research Reservoirs for Flavor and Functional Food

Baijiu is a traditional spirit with high reputation in the Chinese community, and whisky, on the other hand, is a renowned spirit in Western culture, with both contributing a major proportion to the consumption and revenue in the global spirit market. Interestingly, starting with similar raw materials, such as grains, diverse production methods lead to different organoleptic profiles. In addition, such enormous attention they attract renders them as a crucial part in food and the related industry. Therefore, great efforts are made in improving product quality and optimizing production processes, such as flavor enhancement, facility development, and deep utilization of byproducts. Given the huge impacts and great involvements of these spirits in the general food industry, research focusing on either spirit is of referential significance for other relevant fields. With the aim of facilitating such collaboration, this review discusses the current research status, in a comparative manner, of both spirits in respect to key production processes-oriented sensory and flavor analysis, deep utilization of byproducts, and spirit-derived functional food investigations. Finally, the internal correlations based on the abovementioned criteria are identified, with research prospects proposed.

Characterization of key aroma compounds in aged Qingxiangxing baijiu by Comparative Aroma Extract Dilution Analysis, Quantitative Measurements, Aroma Recombination, and Omission Studies

Aging aroma is an intriguing but an understudied phenomenon in baijiu. The aromatic characteristics of Qingxiangxing (QXX) baijiu stored for 45 years (aged) were investigated using the sensomics approach and were compared with those of young baijiu (0 year-old). Aroma extract dilution analysis revealed 59 odorants, with many long-retained components exhibiting greater flavor dilution values in the aged than the young sample. The analysis of variance of the quantitative data showed significant differences between the young and aged baijiu for 26 compounds. Based on the variations in the content of these compounds, QXX baijiu aged for 0, 5, 15, 20, and 45 years was analyzed and twelve compounds were significantly correlated with aging duration. Finally, eight positively correlated compounds were omitted from the recombinant model, and sotolon, methional, vanillin, dimethyl trisulfide, benzaldehyde, and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone were confirmed to primarily contribute toward the aging aroma of QXX baijiu.

Brown goat yogurt: Metabolomics, peptidomics, and sensory changes during production

Brown goat milk products have gained popularity for their unique taste and flavor. The emergence of chain-reversal phenomenon makes the design and development of goat milk products gradually tend to a consumer-oriented model. However, the precise mechanism of how browning and fermentation process causes characteristics is not clear. In an effort to understand how the treatments potentially lead to certain metabolite profile changes in goat milk, comprehensive, quantitative metabolomics and peptidomics analysis of goat milk samples after browning and fermentation were undertaken. An intelligent hybrid z-score standardization-principal components algorithm-multimodal denoizing autoencoder was used for feature fusion and hidden layer fusion in high-dimensional variable space. The fermentation process significantly improved the flavor of brown goat yogurt through the tricarboxylic acid-urea-glycolysis composite pathway. Bitter peptides HPFLEWAR, PPGLPDKY, and PPPPPKK have strong interactions with both putative dipeptidyl peptidase IV and angiotensin-converting enzyme, proving that brown goat yogurt can be considered as effective provider of potential putative dipeptidyl peptidase IV and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The level of health-promoting bioactive components and sensory contributed to consumer selection. The proposed multimodal data integrative analysis platform was applicable to explain the effect of the dynamic changes of metabolites and peptides on consumer preferences.

Cross-modal interactions caused by nonvolatile compounds derived from fermentation, distillation and aging to harmonize flavor

Chinese liquor (Baijiu), unique liquor produced in China and among the six world-renowned distilled liquors, is never a follower of others. Flavor is the essential characteristics of Baijiu which largely affect consumers' acceptance and selection. Though the flavor of Baijiu has been widely explored, the majority of research and review mainly focused on the volatile compounds in Baijiu. The research status on detection, source and flavor contribution of nonvolatile compounds in Baijiu is clarified in the article based on available literatures and knowledge. The nonvolatile composition of Baijiu is the result of contributions of different degrees from each step involved in the production process. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with derivatization and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry is the generally adopted methods for the characterization of nonvolatile compounds in Baijiu. Certain nonvolatile compounds are taste-active compounds. Cross-modal interactions caused by nonvolatile composition could affect the aroma intensity of flavor compounds in Baijiu. The work provides numerous incompletely explored but useful points for the flavor chemistry of Baijiu and lays a theoretical foundation for the better understanding of Baijiu flavor and rapid development of Baijiu industry.

Synergy of physicochemical reactions occurred during aging for harmonizing and improving flavor

Numerous counterfeit vintage Baijiu are widely distributed in the market driven by economic interest which disturb the market economic rules and damage the reputation of particular Baijiu brand. Found on the situation, the Baijiu system variation during aging period, aging mechanisms and discrimination strategies for vintage Baijiu are systematically illuminated. The aging mechanisms of Baijiu cover volatilization, oxidation, association, esterification, hydrolysis, formation of colloid molecules and catalysis by metal elements or other raw materials dissolved from storage vessels. The discrimination of aged Baijiu has been performed by electrochemical method, colorimetric sensor array or component characterization coupled with multivariate analysis. Nevertheless, the characterization of non-volatile compounds in aged Baijiu is deficient. Further research on the aging principles, more easy-operation and low-cost discrimination strategies for aged Baijiu are imperative. The above information is favorable to better understand the aging process and mechanisms of Baijiu, and promote the development of artificial aging techniques.

Novel insight into the transformation of peptides and potential benefits in brown fermented goat milk by mesoporous magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction-based peptidomics

Brown fermented goat milk as an excellent source of bioactive peptides has only been partially elucidated. Meticulously synthesized MOF@MG as magnetic sorbent for enriching endogenous peptides owned higher reproducibility and uniform distribution of peptides PI compared with ultrafiltration. Combined with UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap, fermentation for 12 h in brown goat milk with the highest overall acceptable degree through sensory evaluation was utilized to explore the transformation of peptides and health benefits, with trypsin or plasmin hydrolyzing proteins and aminopeptidase or carboxypeptidase hydrolyzing peptides to small peptides or amino acids. A total of 1317 peptides were identified by database matching (1259) and de novo sequencing (58), among 18 peptides could originate from gene-independent enzymatic formation and top 25 characteristic peptides were quantified with concentration ranging from 0.12 to 6.40 mg L^-1. Bioinformatic analysis results indicated that brown fermented goat milk possesses higher health benefits because of more than 50 peptides with potential bioactivity.

Strategies for studying in vivo biochemical formation pathways and multilevel distributions of sulfanilamide metabolites in food (2012-2022)

Sulfonamide metabolites are a major source of food pollution worldwide. However, the formation of internal sulfanilamide metabolites has only been investigated for selected compounds. In this paper, the fragmentation mechanism and characteristic ions of sulfonamide metabolites are reviewed using density functional theory and Q-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. The result of the protonation site, rearrangement and bond breaking induced fragmentations at C₆H₆NO₂S⁺m/z 156.01138, C₆H₆NO⁺m/z 108.04439, and C₆H₆N⁺m/z 92.04948. Mass shifts are calculated for derivative metabolites, including hydrogenation, acetylation, oxidation, glucosylation, glucosidation, sulfation, deamination, formylation, desulfonation and O-aminomethylation. Given their homologous series, it is demonstrated that similar metabolic reactions occur for all sulfonamides. The suspicious sulfonamide metabolites are confirmed by d-labelling experiments and reference standards. This is the first review of the latest advances in the field of sulfonamide metabolite prediction (2012-2022), and scheme design for metabolite multirresidue screening, as well as the challenges in the mass spectrometry evolution.

Bioaccessibility of phospholipids in homogenized goat milk: Lipid digestion ecology through INFOGEST model

Phospholipids-rich goat milk provides health benefits to consumers. The effects of homogenization on the disruption and recombination of milk fat globule membrane and change the fatty acid positional distribution in glycerophospholipids profile by phosphatidylcholine metabolism pathways were investigated. Goat milk was homogenized at different intensity pressure. Homogenized samples were introduced into harmonized INFOGEST digestion model. Results showed that phosphatidylcholine increased significantly during storage in 30 MPa and were approximately twice that in raw milk (LOD 0.27-1.49 μg/L and LOQ 0.89-4.92 μg/L, respectively). Meanwhile, both linoleic acid (C18:2) and α-linolenic acid (C18:3ω-3), the foremost polyunsaturated acyl chains in homogenized milk extracts, showed upward trends. Notably, homogenization increased the number and altered the composition of Sn-1, 2 diacylglycerols via increasing trypsin and pancreatic lipase (PLRP2, MAUC15, CD36 and BSSL) expression and accelerated the phosphatidylcholine conversion. Ultimately, the relationship between homogenization and milk fat globule recombination and phospholipids bioaccessibility was preliminary established.

Effects of Short-Chain Peptides on the Flavor Profile of Baijiu by the Density Functional Theory: Peptidomics, Sensomics, Flavor Reconstitution, and Sensory Evaluation

The effect of peptides on the flavor profile of Baijiu is unclear as a result of their trace concentrations in the complex matrix, and therefore, the study involving the interaction mechanism between peptides and flavor compounds is limited. In this study, short-chain peptides (amino acid number between 2 and 4, SCPs) associated with the Feng-flavor Baijiu (FFB) were comprehensively analyzed by a dedicated workflow using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography Q Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry, flavor reconstitution experiments, sensory analysis, and density functional theory (DFT) analysis. The concentrations of 96 SCPs intimately related with six different grades of honey aroma intensity in FFB were quantified (0.12-155.01 μg L^-1) after multivariable analysis, Spearman's correlation analysis (ρ ≥ 0.7), and confirmation with synthetic standards, and 32 dominant odorants with an odor activity value of ≥1 in FFB with the highest intensity of honey aroma were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection analyses. The results of flavor reconstitution experiments and sensory analysis indicated that the SCPs can obviously influence the honey aroma with amplifying the fruity, sweet, and flora flavor odor characters (p < 0.05) while significantly reducing the acidic character (p < 0.001), which could be attributed to the most stable complex structure between SCPs and odor-active compounds calculated by DFT being butanoic acid, followed by β-damascenone, 3-methylbutanal, and ethyl hexanoate, and the multiple sites as a hydrogen bond donor or acceptor in SCPs can form a stable ternary structure with water and ethanol inside the peptide chain or carboxyl terminal of SCPs, consequently improving the stability of the Baijiu system. The results highlighted the important role of SCPs on the volatiles in Baijiu and laid the foundation for further facilitating the sensory quality of Baijiu products.

Molecular mechanism of Mare Nectaris and magnetic field on the formation of ethyl carbamate during 19 years aging of Feng-flavor Baijiu

Ethyl carbamate (EC) is carcinogen occurring naturally in fermented foods, while the EC formation pattern in Feng-flavor Baijiu during Mare Nectaris storage and magnetic field treatment remains controversial. In this work, variation of EC in Mare Nectaris and magnetic field were investigated for the first time through ultra high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap). Quantification results revealed that EC decreased significantly in the stage of 3-9 years and kept at 12.4 μg L-1 after 10 years of aging. Arginine succinate synthase (ASS) and urease were deemed as vital factors for EC decomposition. Degradation effetc of EC in 250 mT is simillar to that of EC in Baijiu stored in Mare Nectaris for 8 years. This is due to that aging process was accelerated by magnetic field and the content of total acid in Baijiu was increased, creating a favorable environment for decomposition of EC and urea.

Hydrogen bonds and hydrophobicity with mucin and α-amylase induced honey aroma in Feng-flavor Baijiu during 16 years aging

Honey aroma is one of the most significant factors of Feng-flavor Baijiu, which is also an essential element to attract consumers. However, the evaluation and chemical basis of honey aroma is unclear. Palmitoleic acid, lagochilin, phomotenone and ethyl behenate were confirmed to be the strongest contributors to honey aroma by time-intensity analysis and UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS. Predictive modeling was developed for processing honey aroma intensity responses in order to obtain significant Feng-flavor Baijiu rankings. In this study, the effects of ex-vivo saliva on Feng-flavor Baijiu were investigated for the first time. Mucin and α-amylase, as major proteins in ex-vivo saliva, were applied to simulate molecular docking of ethyl benzoate. Mucin and α-amylase modified the aroma release, which depended on hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, respectively. It is blazing a trail in the field in sensory experience of Feng-flavor Baijiu as well as contributes to our understanding of Feng-flavor Baijiu drinking process.

Chinese Baijiu: The Perfect Works of Microorganisms

Chinese Baijiu is one of the famous distilled liquor series with unique flavors in the world. Under the open environment, Chinese Baijiu was produced by two solid-state fermentation processes: jiuqu making and baijiu making. Chinese Baijiu can be divided into different types according to the production area, production process, starter type, and product flavor. Chinese Baijiu contains rich flavor components, such as esters and organic acids. The formation of these flavor substances is inseparable from the metabolism and interaction of different microorganisms, and thus, microorganisms play a leading role in the fermentation process of Chinese Baijiu. Bacteria, yeasts, and molds are the microorganisms involved in the brewing process of Chinese Baijiu, and they originate from various sources, such as the production environment, production workers, and jiuqu. This article reviews the typical flavor substances of different types of Chinese Baijiu, the types of microorganisms involved in the brewing process, and their functions. Methods that use microbial technology to enhance the flavor of baijiu, and for detecting flavor substances in baijiu were also introduced. This review systematically summarizes the role and application of Chinese Baijiu flavor components and microorganisms in baijiu brewing and provides data support for understanding Chinese Baijiu and further improving its quality.

Discovery of Se-containing flavone in Se-enriched green tea and the potential application value in the immune regulation

Selenium (Se)-enriched green tea has been recognized as a possible source of supplemental Se, while the structural and physiological activities of Se-containing flavone are still unclear. In this study, a Se-containing flavone was isolated from Se-enriched green tea by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and characterized through UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap, FT-IR and NMR. Results proved that HSeO₃^- can be combined with the alcohol hydroxyl of 2-phenylchromone in flavone and the content of Se-containing flavone in tea was 15690.4 μg L^-1. Additionally, Se-containing flavone can effectively inhibit the production of nitric oxide (NO), and downregulate expression of TNF-α and IL-6. Compared with regular flavone extracted from green tea (43.24 pg mL^-1), release of IL-10 was higher in Se-containing flavone group (53.37 pg mL^-1), indicating that Se-containing flavone played an important role in the process of severe inflammatory injury. The results indicated that Se-containing flavone was an attractive natural ingredient for developing novel functional foods.