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Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of...
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Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of Wines

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Drinks and Liquid Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 11184

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xiaotao Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Beijing Key Lab of Flavor Chemistry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
Interests: flavor; aroma; aroma-active compounds; baijiu; chemometrics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the realm of food and beverages, the exploration of the interplay between flavor and health has become a focal point of research. In this realm, traditional fermented alcoholic beverages such as Baijiu, Huangjiu, and Wine have gained widespread acceptance and popularity for centuries owing to their flavor and health benefits. In recent decades, a large number of compounds, which mainly include phenolic compounds, bioactive peptides, pyrazines, esters, furans, and polysaccharides, have been proven to be the main compounds responsible for the flavor and health benefits of traditional fermented alcoholic beverages. Moreover, each type of traditional fermented alcoholic beverages has its own key processing step and presents an unique chemical composition, which leads to its characteristic flavor and in vitro and in vivo biological activities. Furthermore, to better elucidate the flavor and health perception of traditional fermented alcoholic beverages, several emerging technologies, including extraction, detection, and sensory assessment, are now being applied. However, traditional fermented alcoholic beverages are complex in composition, and the assessment of their flavor and health has not yet been comprehensively conducted. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, automated production big data analysis and decision-making methods based on artificial intelligence may provide new strategies and innovative techniques for the assessment of flavor and health of traditional fermented alcoholic beverages.

In general, the research on traditional fermented alcoholic beverages might adhere to the dual guidance of “flavor” and “health” in the future. The current Special Issue aims at providing a platform to the scientific community to present their high-quality research, primarily on the fermented alcoholic beverages’ flavor and health benefits. Potential topics include but are not limited to fermented alcoholic beverages’ technology, such as Baijiu, Huangjiu, and Wine flavor and aroma, fermented alcoholic beverages’ analysis, fermented alcoholic beverages’ chemistry, and fermented alcoholic beverages’ safety and quality.

Dr. Xiaotao Sun
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • flavor
  • aroma
  • aroma-active compounds
  • baijiu
  • flavor omics

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3543 KiB  
Article
Improvement of Esterifying Power of Isolated Bacillus velezensis from Daqu by Atmospheric Pressure and Room Temperature Plasma Mutagenesis
by Chuan Song, Tongwei Guan, Zhuang Xiong, Xiaodie Chen, Wenying Tu, Yanping Xu, Xiyue Yan and Qiang Li
Foods 2025, 14(5), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050800 - 26 Feb 2025
Viewed by 551
Abstract
Strong-flavor Baijiu, a widely popular distilled spirit in China, derives its characteristic aroma and quality largely from ethyl hexanoate, a key flavor compound. The concentration of ethyl hexanoate, influenced by its precursor hexanoic acid, is critical in defining the style and quality of [...] Read more.
Strong-flavor Baijiu, a widely popular distilled spirit in China, derives its characteristic aroma and quality largely from ethyl hexanoate, a key flavor compound. The concentration of ethyl hexanoate, influenced by its precursor hexanoic acid, is critical in defining the style and quality of this Baijiu variety. In this study, atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis technology was applied to strains isolated from Strong-flavor Daqu to enhance their acid and ester production capabilities. A hexanoic acid-producing strain, identified as Bacillus velezensis WY4 through morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular analyses, was used as the starting strain. Following 90 s of ARTP exposure, a mutant strain, WY4-3, was successfully developed, achieving a balance between high mutation diversity and moderate lethality. WY4-3 exhibited robust growth across a pH range of 4.2 to 5.0 and demonstrated high ethanol tolerance. After five days of fermentation, WY4-3 produced 0.36 g/L of total acid and 0.528 g/L of total ester, surpassing the wild-type strain. Enzymatic activity assays revealed significant enhancements in amylase (9.13%), saccharifying enzyme (101.72%), and esterification (573.71%) activities in WY4-3. Validation in multiple artificial esterification systems further confirmed the superior ester production capacity of this mutant strain. These findings enrich the microbial germplasm resources for Baijiu brewing and provide a solid foundation for strain selection and genetic improvement in Baijiu production processes. This study highlights the potential of ARTP mutagenesis in optimizing brewing microorganisms and improving the quality and consistency of Strong-flavor Baijiu. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of Wines)
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14 pages, 2175 KiB  
Article
Indole Content Profiling During Biological Ageing of Cava Sparkling Wine
by Clara Abarca-Rivas, Alba Martín-García, Montserrat Riu-Aumatell and Elvira López-Tamames
Foods 2025, 14(5), 722; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050722 - 20 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 369
Abstract
Indoles are bioactive components found in wine products and are associated with yeast activity. Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine, is characterized by aging in contact with lees, making it a potential matrix for indoles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine [...] Read more.
Indoles are bioactive components found in wine products and are associated with yeast activity. Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine, is characterized by aging in contact with lees, making it a potential matrix for indoles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the indole content in Cava produced at an industrial scale. Nine indoles were analysed by Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography—Tandem Mass Spectrometry in Cava samples with different ageing times (n = 74). Significant amounts of tryptophan (2.3–1680.4 μg/L), tryptophan ethyl ester (0.1–5.2 μg/L), 5-methoxytryptophol (0.3–29.2 µg/L) and n-acetyl serotonin (0.3–2.3 μg/L) were determined. Tryptophan and tryptophan ethyl ester were positively correlated and decreased with ageing time. In fact, a concentration of less than 0.56 μg of the latter indole can become a marker of the most aged Cavas. The ageing time in contact with lees seems to play a key role affecting the indole content, since base wines show high amount of tryptophan and tryptophan ethyl ester while aged sparkling wines have values around the lower 95% confidence limit. Notably, the identification of tryptophan ethyl ester as a potential marker for aging in Cava suggests a new avenue for further research and quality assessment in its production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of Wines)
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29 pages, 1220 KiB  
Article
Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant Activity, Chemical Composition, and Elements of Merlot Wine Stored in Toasted Oak Barrels
by Anita Pichler, Ivana Ivić, Jurislav Babić, Josip Mesić, Ina Ćorković, Tanja Marković and Mirela Kopjar
Foods 2024, 13(24), 4100; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13244100 - 18 Dec 2024
Viewed by 881
Abstract
Wine ageing represents an important stage during wine production when the final wine composition is formed. In this study, 2020 and 2021 vintage Merlot red wines were subjected to 12-month ageing in a stainless-steel tank, Excellence oak barrels with medium, medium-plus and medium-long [...] Read more.
Wine ageing represents an important stage during wine production when the final wine composition is formed. In this study, 2020 and 2021 vintage Merlot red wines were subjected to 12-month ageing in a stainless-steel tank, Excellence oak barrels with medium, medium-plus and medium-long toasting, and a Premium oak barrel with medium toasting. The aim was to investigate the influence of different ageing vessels on the main chemical composition, element content, phenolic profile, antioxidant activity, and wine colour during ageing. The results showed that changes in ethanol, total sugars, pH, and density were minimal, mostly not significant. Slight changes in malic and lactic acid concentration occurred due to malolactic fermentation. Statistically, more changes that are significant occurred in the phenolic profile, and they affected the antioxidant activity of the wine. In both wine vintages, anthocyanin content decreased, followed by an increase in polymeric colour. Elements and individual phenolic compounds changed significantly, depending on vessel type, ageing time, wine vintage, and initial concentrations. The PCA biplots of the mentioned compounds showed that vessel type had a significant influence on wine composition, especially after 12 months of ageing. According to the CIELab parameters, a slight colour change occurred in both wine vintages, but this is not visible to the human eye. According to the obtained results, various changes in the phenolic profile of Merlot wine occurred during ageing, which strongly depended on the ageing vessel used, the ageing time, and the initial wine composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of Wines)
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24 pages, 5765 KiB  
Article
Decoding the Formation and Elimination Mechanism of Ethyl Carbamate in Strong-Aroma Baijiu
by Liqiang Zhang, Yue Qiu, Yongqing Zhang, Yintao Jia, Baoguo Sun and Wei Dong
Foods 2024, 13(23), 3743; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233743 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 838
Abstract
In the present study, changes in the physicochemical indices, ethyl carbamate (EC) precursor and EC contents, and microbial communities of fermented grains under different fermentation patterns during strong-aroma Baijiu (SAB) fermentation and changes in EC precursor and EC contents during distillation were investigated [...] Read more.
In the present study, changes in the physicochemical indices, ethyl carbamate (EC) precursor and EC contents, and microbial communities of fermented grains under different fermentation patterns during strong-aroma Baijiu (SAB) fermentation and changes in EC precursor and EC contents during distillation were investigated to study EC formation during these processes. In detail, the amounts of sorghum added in protocols C and D were half those added in protocols A and B (the normal SAB-producing technology). When fermented for about 30 to 35 days, the fermented grains of protocols A and C were, respectively, remixed with Daqu and second-distilled SAB (so-called “Huijiu jiaqu”, HJJQ) and fermented for about 30 to 40 days. The results showed that the acidities of the final fermented grains of protocols A (2.43 ± 0.09 mmol/10 g) and C (3.18 ± 0.08 mmol/10 g) were lower than those of protocols B (3.71 ± 0.07 mmol/10 g) and D (4.66 ± 0.10 mmol/10 g), while the alcohol contents in the final fermented grains of protocols A (18.33 ± 0.76%) and C (15.33 ± 1.08%) were higher than those of protocols B (5.10 ± 0.85%) and D (1.85 ± 0.62%). No significant differences were observed in the other physicochemical indices among the samples. The HJJQ operation significantly increases the alcohol content and reduces the acidity of the fermented grains but has little influence on the other physicochemical indices during SAB fermentation. Excluding the influence of the HJJQ operation and a half input of sorghum on the EC precursor and EC contents for the fermented grains of protocol B, the linear relationships between the EC content and alcohol (R2: 0.4465), citrulline (R2: 0.6962), urea (R2: 0.4705), and HCN (R2: 0.6324) contents were good (all the confidence levels were at 0.05), indicating that these compounds were the dominant EC precursors during SAB fermentation. HJJQ also facilitated the reaction between alcohol and other EC precursors, decreasing EC precursor content and increasing the EC content. KEGG pathway analysis demonstrated that EC precursors were mainly synthesized by alcohol and arginine metabolism. HCN (R2: 0.3875 to 0.8198) and alcohol (R2: 0.4642 to 0.8423) were the dominant EC precursors during SAB distillation. Overall, the HJJQ operation, especially in protocol C, could significantly reduce the content of EC in base SAB, and the base SAB obtained was of good quality. This, therefore, may be an alternative and effective way to reduce the EC content in base Baijiu. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of Wines)
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16 pages, 671 KiB  
Article
Compositional Consequences of Ultrafiltration Treatment of White and Red Wines
by Stephanie Angela, David Wollan, Richard Muhlack, Keren Bindon and Kerry Wilkinson
Foods 2024, 13(12), 1850; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13121850 - 13 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1352
Abstract
Clarification and stabilisation processes are routinely performed post-fermentation to ‘finish’ wines, but traditional methods are slow and energy intensive, create waste, and can affect wine volume and quality. New methods that ‘finish’ wine rapidly, with higher recovery rates, and reduced waste and input [...] Read more.
Clarification and stabilisation processes are routinely performed post-fermentation to ‘finish’ wines, but traditional methods are slow and energy intensive, create waste, and can affect wine volume and quality. New methods that ‘finish’ wine rapidly, with higher recovery rates, and reduced waste and input costs, are therefore needed. Ultrafiltration is a separation process that fractionates liquids, nominally, according to molecular weight. By comparing the composition of permeate and retentate derived from pilot-scale fractionation of white and red wine using 75, 20, or 10 kDa membranes and different degrees of permeation (50, 80, 90, or 95%), this study sought to evaluate ultrafiltration as an innovative approach to the clarification and stabilisation of wine. Mass balance analysis confirmed that titratable acidity and alcohol were fractionated according to the degree of permeation; however, proteins, polysaccharides, and phenolic compounds (including anthocyanins for red wine) were concentrated in retentate due both to the membrane molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) specifications and degree of permeation. The retention of wine constituents smaller than the nominal MWCO suggests that interaction with other macromolecules or the membrane surface occurred. Red wine permeates were stripped of much of their essential character and were no longer considered commercially acceptable. In contrast, the removal of protein and phenolic compounds from white wine demonstrated the potential for ultrafiltration to remediate heat unstable or excessively phenolic wines. Findings enabled the identification of other winemaking applications of ultrafiltration technology that could enhance wine quality, process efficiency, and profitability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of Wines)
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15 pages, 2894 KiB  
Article
Extraction, Identification, and In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Feruloylated Oligosaccharides from Baijiu Distillers’ Grains
by Zhongtian Yin, Mengyao Liu, Bowen Wang, Dongrui Zhao, Hehe Li and Jinyuan Sun
Foods 2024, 13(8), 1283; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13081283 - 22 Apr 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1981
Abstract
The structure and function of phenoyl oligosaccharides in baijiu distillers’ grains (BDGs) have not been identified and investigated yet. This study aimed to elucidate the major phenolic oligosaccharides present in BDGs, optimize their extraction process via a central composite design, and assess their [...] Read more.
The structure and function of phenoyl oligosaccharides in baijiu distillers’ grains (BDGs) have not been identified and investigated yet. This study aimed to elucidate the major phenolic oligosaccharides present in BDGs, optimize their extraction process via a central composite design, and assess their anti-inflammatory properties utilizing the LPS-induced RAW264.7 inflammation model. The main results are as follows: feruloylated oligosaccharides (FOs) were identified as the main phenoyl oligosaccharides in BDGs with a structure of ferulic acid esterified on arabinooligosaccharide xylose. Then, the preparation process of FOs was optimized using the following conditions: pH 5, temperature 55 °C, time 12 h, xylanase addition amount 7 g/L, BDG concentration 120 g/L. Furthermore, the acquired FOs demonstrated notable scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS free radicals, with Trolox equivalent values of 366.8 ± 10.38 and 0.35 ± 0.01 mM Trolox/mg sample, respectively. However, their efficacy was comparatively lower than that of ferulic acid. Finally, the obtained FOs could effectively inhibit the LPS-induced secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β and promote the secretion of IL-10 in RAW264.7 cells. Based on the above results, FOs from BDGs were determined to have certain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of Wines)
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16 pages, 2936 KiB  
Article
Towards Sulphite-Free Winemaking: A New Horizon of Vinification and Maturation
by Nicola Mercanti, Monica Macaluso, Ylenia Pieracci, Guido Flamini, Giulio Scappaticci, Andrea Marianelli and Angela Zinnai
Foods 2024, 13(7), 1108; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13071108 - 4 Apr 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3073
Abstract
The complex dynamics between oxygen exposure, sulphur dioxide (SO2) utilization, and wine quality are of the utmost importance in wine sector, and this study aims to explore their fine balance in winemaking. As a common additive, SO2 works as an [...] Read more.
The complex dynamics between oxygen exposure, sulphur dioxide (SO2) utilization, and wine quality are of the utmost importance in wine sector, and this study aims to explore their fine balance in winemaking. As a common additive, SO2 works as an antiseptic and antioxidant. However, its excessive use has raised health concerns. Regulatory guidelines, including Council Regulation (EC) N° 1493/1999 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1622/2000, dictate SO2 concentrations in wines. The increasing demand for natural preservatives is driving the search for alternatives, with natural plant extracts, rich in phenolic compounds, emerging as promising substitutes. In this context, Bioma Company has proposed alternative additives deriving from vineyard waste to replace SO2 during winemaking. Thus, the aim of the present work was to compare the compositional characteristics between the product obtained with the alternative vinification and the traditional one during the winemaking, as well as the aroma compositions of the final wines. After a year of experimentation, the wines produced with Bioma products showed compositional characteristics comparable to their traditional counterparts. Notably, these wines comply with current legislation, with significantly reduced total sulphur content, allowing their designation as “without added sulphites”. Bioma products emerge as potential catalysts for sustainable and health-conscious winemaking practices, reshaping the landscape of the industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of Wines)
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Review

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38 pages, 1949 KiB  
Review
Applications of Microextraction Technology for the Analysis of Alcoholic Beverages Quality: Current Perspectives and Future Directions
by Yue Qiu, Qi Deng, Yongqing Zhang, Baoguo Sun, Wenxian Li, Wei Dong and Xiaotao Sun
Foods 2025, 14(7), 1152; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14071152 - 26 Mar 2025
Viewed by 655
Abstract
Alcoholic beverages are loved by the majority of consumers because of their diverse characteristics and rich nutritional value; thus, ensuring their quality is necessary for maintaining the rapid development of the alcoholic beverage industry. Due to trace levels of various quality factors and [...] Read more.
Alcoholic beverages are loved by the majority of consumers because of their diverse characteristics and rich nutritional value; thus, ensuring their quality is necessary for maintaining the rapid development of the alcoholic beverage industry. Due to trace levels of various quality factors and the complexity of the beverage body matrix, pretreatment is usually required before analysis. Among the many pretreatment methods available, microextraction has attracted increasing attention because it aligns with the development direction of green chemistry. This review surveys advancements in microextraction techniques pertaining to three quality aspects in the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverages: baijiu and huangjiu (spirits) and wine and beer (fermented alcoholic drinks). Furthermore, new directions in their development are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Different Winemaking Processes on Quality and Composition of Wines)
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