Characterization of Bitter Compounds in <i>Shaoxing Huangjiu</i> by Quantitative Measurements, Taste Recombination, and Omission Experiments

Abstract

Excessive and uncoordinated bitterness of <i>Shaoxing Huangjiu</i>, a traditional Chinese rice wine, reduces its acceptance by consumers. To determine the compounds responsible for this bitterness, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography were performed on four types of <i>Shaoxing Huangjiu</i> (<i>Yuanhong</i>, <i>Huadiao</i>, <i>Shanniang</i>, and <i>Xiangxue</i> wine) for targeted quantitation of candidate compounds known to contribute to bitterness. Calculations of dose-over-threshold factors revealed that isoamyl alcohol, 1-hexanol, phenylethanol, ethyl butyrate, ethyl lactate, furfural, histidine, and arginine were important bitter compounds. Taste recombination experiments demonstrated that a recombination model constructed using the screened known bitter compounds showed good similarity with the original sample in bitter taste. Furthermore, omission experiments revealed that isobutanol, isoamyl alcohol, 1-hexanol, phenylethanol, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl lactate, furfural, arginine, and valine were the compounds affecting the bitter taste perception. This study provides a certain guiding effect on the bitterness control and taste improvement of <i>Shaoxing Huangjiu</i>.