Profiling the key metabolites produced during the modern brewing process of Chinese rice wine

Abstract

The study quantitatively profiled 83 low-molecular-weight metabolites in the categories of alcohols, aldehydes, amino acids, esters, fatty acids, organic acids, and reducing sugars produced during the advanced brewing process of Chinese rice wine, using multiply chromatography and mass spectrum. In the primary fermentation, vigorous metabolisms were demonstrated by the production of ethanol at the level of 14% by volume, and the consumption of reducing sugars from the maximum level of 100 g/L to 20 g/L. Meantime, more than 70% of the contents of organic acids, fatty acids, higher alcohols, and aldehydes were formed. The metabolisms slowed down in the secondary fermentation, whereas 60% of the contents of amino acids and esters were accumulated in this stage. The nutrients, such as amino acids, organic acids, and reducing sugars reached 10 g/L, 5 g/L, and 3 g/L at the end of brewing, respectively. In terms of flavor and taste attributes to the brewed rice wine, the organoleptic activity value (i.e. the ratio of content to threshold value) was above 1 for 17 compounds, including six organic acids, namely acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, succinic acid, and tartaric acid, four amino acids, namely cysteine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and lysine, three higher alcohols namely isoamyl alcohol, isobutanol, and phenethyl alcohol, three esters, namely ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, and ethyl hexanoate, and an aldehyde, namely benzaldehyde.