HOU Yaxin, MA Yanchao, HUANG He, WU Yashuai, CHEN Hao, ZHAO Dongrui, AO Ran, ZHAO Zhigang, ZHANG Chunsheng, SUN Jinyuan, HUANG Mingquan
Among 12 aroma types of Baijiu, the strong-flavor Baijiu with rich and full aroma profile is the mainstream of Baijiu production and consumption in China. Of note, the strong-flavor Baijiu of different grades had unique characteristics, which are closely related to the type, content, and proportion of trace components. However, the reasons for the differences in strong-flavor Baijiu in different grades are still unclear. Hence, three representative grades of strong-flavor Baijiu were chosen to explore their differences in sensory attributes and aroma compounds. In this study, sensory quantitative descriptive analysis (SQDA), sorbent pen combined with GC-MS as well as liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) combined with gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS) were applied to anchor the quality difference factor for three different grades of strong-flavor Baijiu. Sorbent pen combined with GC-MS has the characteristics of convenience and rapidity, larger adsorption capacity, high sensitivity and selectivity, and is suitable for the identification and analysis of trace components in complex Baijiu. According to the database search and retention indexes comparison, the results indicated that a total of 80 trace components were identified in three different grades of strong-flavor Baijiu, which were mainly esters, acids and alcohols. The results showed that various trace components contributed differently to the grade characteristics of strong-flavor Baijiu. Moreover, combined with the relevant thresholds, odor activity values (OAVs), taste activity values (TAVs), and aroma expression intensity, 47 odor quality factors and nine taste quality factors were identified in the three samples, which made important contributions to the flavor quality of strong-flavor Baijiu. Among 47 odor quality factors, including 18 esters, eight alcohols, seven acids, three aldehydes and ketones, two furans, eight aromatic compounds, and one sulfur-containing compound. Among nine taste quality factors, including three esters, one alcohol, one furan, and four aromatic compounds. These quality factors in the three representative grades of strong-flavor Baijiu had significant difference. Furthermore, combined with sensory evaluation, the comprehensive determination of aroma expression intensity concluded that ethyl acetate, ethyl butanoate, ethyl pentanoate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl lactate, 1-butanol, hexanoic acid, furfural, phenylacetaldehyde and dimethyl trisulfide were further considered to be the different quality factors that distinguished different grades of strong-flavor Baijiu. Among them, most esters were strongly correlated with aromas of fruity and sweet, and alcohols mainly had a strong correlation with fermented grain aroma, while acids contributed to acidity and pit aroma. The anchoring of quality difference factors provides an effective method for the classification of strong-flavor Baijiu. The research results of this study can provide a reference for the stable improvement of the quality of strong-flavor Baijiu and the high-quality sustainable development of the Baijiu industry.