(R)-Ethyl lactate is an important contributor to fruity flavor of Baijiu as revealed by chiral GC–MS and sensory evaluation

作者：C. Yu, Jianmeng Zhu, Jiajie Chen, Wenbin Yu, Chao Wang, S. Gu, Dejian Huang, Lulu Pu, Shuyi Qiu, Yifeng Dai · 发表于：Food Chemistry X · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.fochx.2025.102525 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Fermentation and Sensory Analysis、Food Quality and Safety Studies、Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities

In this study, the enantiomeric isomers of Ethyl lactate (EL) in 12 aroma types of commercial Baijiu, Baijiu from different years, and rounds of Sauce-based Baijiu were investigated using DI-chiral-GC–MS. The results showed pure grain brewed Baijiu and rounds of Sauce-based Baijiu were mostly dominated as ( R )-EL with significant difference ( P < 0.001) content between ( R )-EL and ( S )-EL. ( R )-EL was the dominant conformation in Soy sauce aroma-type Baijiu from different years. The olfactory threshold of ( S )-EL (214.22 mg/L) in 46 % ( v /v) ethanol solution was approximately twice the ( R )-EL (103.92 mg/L). ( R )-EL exhibited a distinctive fruity aroma, while ( S )-EL could produce an unpleasant aroma. The fruity flavor of the solution was more pronounced when the ( R )-EL predominated with the racemate solution as the control. This study method is easy to follow and these results could help to understand the chiral flavor of EL in Baijiu from the molecular configuration level. • ( R )-Ethyl lactate exhibited pleasant fruity flavor and contributed more to the fruity flavors of Baijiu； • ( R )-Ethyl lactate predominated in the nine aroma types of Baijiu except Chi and Feng aroma-types Baijiu; • The ( R )-Ethyl lactate dominated in the rounds of Sauce-based Baijiu and Baijiu from different years.