Effects of nitrogen catabolite repression-related amino acids on the flavour of rice wine

Abstract

The quality of rice wine is highly dependent on the content of the flavour compounds produced by the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, the effects of three amino acids (arginine, glutamate and glutamine) related to nitrogen catabolite repression on the formation of flavour compounds were investigated. Each of these amino acids could promote the growth of S. cerevisiae, and a total of 83 flavour compounds were found in a model system of rice wine production. The effects of arginine, glutamate and glutamine on the content of the higher alcohols, amino acids and esters were significant, whereas the effects on the aldehydes and organic acids were slight. The results of this study could facilitate the development of new strategies to control the flavour pattern and improve the quality of rice wine. Copyright © 2015 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling