Decoding the Formation and Elimination Mechanism of Ethyl Carbamate in Strong-Aroma <i>Baijiu</i>
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 <i>Baijiu</i> (SAB) fermentation and changes in EC precursor and EC conten...
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2024-11-01
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| author | Liqiang Zhang Yue Qiu Yongqing Zhang Yintao Jia Baoguo Sun Wei Dong |
| author_facet | Liqiang Zhang Yue Qiu Yongqing Zhang Yintao Jia Baoguo Sun Wei Dong |
| author_sort | Liqiang Zhang |
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| description | 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 <i>Baijiu</i> (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 <i>Daqu</i> and second-distilled SAB (so-called “<i>Huijiu jiaqu</i>”, 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 (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.4465), citrulline (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.6962), urea (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.4705), and HCN (R<sup>2</sup>: 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 (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.3875 to 0.8198) and alcohol (R<sup>2</sup>: 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 <i>Baijiu</i>. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-20c48188a3ff4e56a1bce64846fde3db2025-08-20T02:50:33ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582024-11-011323374310.3390/foods13233743Decoding the Formation and Elimination Mechanism of Ethyl Carbamate in Strong-Aroma <i>Baijiu</i>Liqiang Zhang0Yue Qiu1Yongqing Zhang2Yintao Jia3Baoguo Sun4Wei Dong5College of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, ChinaKey Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, ChinaKey Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, ChinaKey Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, ChinaCollege of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, ChinaCollege of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, ChinaIn 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 <i>Baijiu</i> (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 <i>Daqu</i> and second-distilled SAB (so-called “<i>Huijiu jiaqu</i>”, 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 (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.4465), citrulline (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.6962), urea (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.4705), and HCN (R<sup>2</sup>: 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 (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.3875 to 0.8198) and alcohol (R<sup>2</sup>: 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 <i>Baijiu</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/23/3743ethyl carbamateethyl carbamate precursorsmicrobial communityfermentation and distillation processstrong-aroma <i>Baijiu</i> |
| spellingShingle | Liqiang Zhang Yue Qiu Yongqing Zhang Yintao Jia Baoguo Sun Wei Dong Decoding the Formation and Elimination Mechanism of Ethyl Carbamate in Strong-Aroma <i>Baijiu</i> Foods ethyl carbamate ethyl carbamate precursors microbial community fermentation and distillation process strong-aroma <i>Baijiu</i> |
| title | Decoding the Formation and Elimination Mechanism of Ethyl Carbamate in Strong-Aroma <i>Baijiu</i> |
| title_full | Decoding the Formation and Elimination Mechanism of Ethyl Carbamate in Strong-Aroma <i>Baijiu</i> |
| title_fullStr | Decoding the Formation and Elimination Mechanism of Ethyl Carbamate in Strong-Aroma <i>Baijiu</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decoding the Formation and Elimination Mechanism of Ethyl Carbamate in Strong-Aroma <i>Baijiu</i> |
| title_short | Decoding the Formation and Elimination Mechanism of Ethyl Carbamate in Strong-Aroma <i>Baijiu</i> |
| title_sort | decoding the formation and elimination mechanism of ethyl carbamate in strong aroma i baijiu i |
| topic | ethyl carbamate ethyl carbamate precursors microbial community fermentation and distillation process strong-aroma <i>Baijiu</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/23/3743 |
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