Effects of co-fermentation of high-yield ester Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the quality of rice wine

Background: At present, rice wine has the characteristics of fast fermentation, energy saving, and simple production due to the addition of commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, this kind of fermented rice wine has the disadvantages of single flavor and weak taste. To address this concern, the combination of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces yeast has been identified as an effective approach to enhance the quality of fermented rice wine. This research aims to further enhance the ethyl ester and higher alcohol components of rice wine by utilizing the co-fermentation method of high-yield ester Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, thereby increasing the aroma complexity of rice wine. Results: According to the fermentation performance and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, it was found that S. cerevisiae GJM and Z. rouxii SC01 have a strong metabolic ability for glucose and sucrose. Furthermore, the crucial alcohols such as isobutanol, isoamyl alcohol, and phenylethyl alcohol increased by 85%, 29%, and 138%, respectively, when compared to single S. cerevisiae GJM. Additionally, the ethyl acetate and phenylethylene acetate were increased by 1.35 and 1.45 times, respectively, when compared to single S. cerevisiae GJM. These findings were comparable with the results of sensory evaluation and electronic nose analysis, where the fruit flavor score and the content of mellow substances were found to be higher. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the co-fermentation of S. cerevisiae and high-yield ester Z. rouxii has the potential to enhance the quality and diversity of aroma in liquid rice wine.