Effects of oak chips on quality and flavor of persimmon brandy: A comprehensive analysis of volatile and non-volatile compounds

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of oak chips on the quality of persimmon brandy. The brandy was prepared from Mopan persimmons through fermentation and distillation, and aged for 30–210 days with 0, 5, 10, and 15 g/L of oak chips. The brandy was analyzed for total phenols, oxidation resistance, color, volatile compounds, and non-volatile compounds. Results showed that the addition of oak chips increased the total phenolic content and DPPH scavenging capacity of the brandy. The brandy achieved a better golden yellow color when aged with 10 and 15 g/L of oak chips. HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis revealed 14, 22, 26, and 21 compounds in the four brandy samples with different amounts of oak chips. The brandy aged with 10 g/L of oak chips had the highest total content of volatile compounds. LC-MS-based metabolomics identified a total of 618 non-volatile metabolites, with 20 having the highest relative expression when aged with 10 g/L of oak chips. These findings suggest that persimmon brandy achieves better quality and flavor when aged with 10 g/L of oak chips for 210 days.