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Characterization and Instrumental Analysis of Aroma-Active Compounds in Fermented Food and Beverage, the Second Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Flavours and Fragrances".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 2062

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
Interests: volatile analysis; beer and hop aroma; liquor aroma; grape and wine aroma; grape and wine polyphenols; wine quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fermented food products are experiencing a renewed interest, mainly driven by numerous inherent health benefits, and are being promoted to prevent diseases, from obesity to cancer (Kim et al., 2011). For instance, Kefir reduces lactose intolerance symptoms, stimulates the immune system, and lowers cholesterol (Guzel-Seydim et al., 2011).

On 8 July 2022, CISION PR Newswire (https://www.prnewswire.com/) stated, “The naturally fermented food market size is set to grow by USD 2.05 billion from 2021 to 2026. The report projects the market to progress at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 7.93%, as per the latest market report by Technavio. 43% of the market's growth will originate from North America during the forecast period”.

There are many types of fermented food, including beer, wine, liquors, and recently popular kombucha, as well as kimchi, sauerkraut, cheeses, sausage, yogurt, miso, natto, pickled vegetables, and various kinds of vinegar and soy sauces. Fermentation is an essential process for the production of fermented food, as well as a natural flavor enhancement. As is well known, aroma compounds are primarily derived from fatty acids, amino acids, and carbohydrates with straight‐chain, branched‐chain, and cyclic structures, as well as nitrogen and sulfur. During fermentation, microbial metabolization breaks down large, less flavorful compounds into smaller molecules; microbes further amplify existing flavors, expand the depth of flavor, and develop new and nuanced flavors. Thus, the complexity of the matrix of fermented food makes their volatile analysis highly dynamic and challenging. Therefore, highly sophisticated techniques involved in extraction and enrichment, separation, and sensitive and selective detection are required for the reliable determination of odorants in this complex matrix system. The Special Issue will cover a wide range of topics related to aroma characterization and analysis in fermented foods, including, but not limited to, advances in sample preparation (dynamic headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME), stir bar and thin-film sorptive extraction, etc.); the new development of column chemistry and separation science; multi-dimensional gas chromatographs coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS); and other detection techniques.

Dr. Yanping L. Qian
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • fermentation
  • fermented food production
  • fermented food flavor
  • aroma characterization
  • gas chromatography–mass spectrometry/olfactory (GC-MS/O)
  • Sensorial properties
  • HS-SPME
  • stir bar and thin-film sorptive extraction

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2593 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Ethanol on the Compound Thresholds and Aroma Perception in Chinese Baijiu
by Jialing Lu, Jia Zheng, Dong Zhao, Yan Xu and Shuang Chen
Molecules 2025, 30(4), 933; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30040933 - 17 Feb 2025
Viewed by 634
Abstract
Strong-aroma type Baijiu and its diluted samples were characterized through descriptive analysis. Significant changes were observed in four (ethanol, Jiao-aroma, fruity, and grain) of the nine aroma attributes, primarily attributed to variations in ethanol concentration rather than other compounds. The thresholds of 40 [...] Read more.
Strong-aroma type Baijiu and its diluted samples were characterized through descriptive analysis. Significant changes were observed in four (ethanol, Jiao-aroma, fruity, and grain) of the nine aroma attributes, primarily attributed to variations in ethanol concentration rather than other compounds. The thresholds of 40 compounds in aqueous solutions with alcohol concentrations of 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% were measured using three-alternative forced-choice tests. The thresholds of 30 compounds were significantly positively correlated with ethanol concentration. The thresholds of 40 compounds were affected by ethanol concentration to varying degrees, with changes ranging from 2 to 692 times. Due to the varying degrees of alcohol influence on the compound threshold, the aroma profile of diluted Baijiu sample is different from the original Baijiu sample. Full article
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18 pages, 2581 KiB  
Article
Influence of Honey Varieties, Fermentation Techniques, and Production Process on Sensory Properties and Odor-Active Compounds in Meads
by Daria Cicha-Wojciechowicz, Natalia Drabińska and Małgorzata Anna Majcher
Molecules 2024, 29(24), 5913; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29245913 - 14 Dec 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1073
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of key factors on the formation of odorants and sensory properties in mead. The effects of the honey type (acacia, buckwheat, linden), wort heating, and the fermentation method (commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts, spontaneous fermentation, Galactomyces geotrichum molds) were [...] Read more.
This study investigates the impact of key factors on the formation of odorants and sensory properties in mead. The effects of the honey type (acacia, buckwheat, linden), wort heating, and the fermentation method (commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts, spontaneous fermentation, Galactomyces geotrichum molds) were examined. Twelve model mead batches were produced, matured for 12 months, and analyzed using gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC–O) and headspace SPME-GC/MS to identify odor-active compounds. Results confirmed that the honey type plays a significant role in sensory profiles, with distinct aroma clusters for buckwheat, acacia, and linden honey. Compounds like phenylacetic acid, 2- and 3-methylbutanal, and butanoic acid were identified as the most important odorants, correlating with sensory attributes such as honey-like, malty, and fermented aromas. Univariate and multivariate analyses, followed by correlation analysis, highlighted how production parameters affect mead aroma, providing insights to optimize sensory quality. Full article
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