Molecular and sensory characterization of Chinese Baijiu aged in Jiuhai container and contribution of volatile odorous terpenes to Jiuhai-aroma

Baijiu aged in Jiuhai container will produce a special Jiuhai-aroma, which has not been fully studied. In this study, check-all-that-apply method and quantitative descriptive analysis were used to characterize Jiuhai-aroma, and it was found that the aroma characteristics of herbs, spicy, cut hay and woody were prominent in Baijiu aged in Jiuhai container. According to the results of GC-O and quantification, 71 odorants were identified in Jiuhai sample. Through recombination and omission experiments, it was found that 4-ethylphenol, 4-ethylguaiacol and 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione played a key role in Jiuhai-aroma. In addition to this, the omission of seven subthreshold terpenes mixture (alpha-pinene, camphene, beta-pinene, longifolene, 4-terpineol, alpha-terpineol and cedar) also had a significant effect on Jiuhai-aroma. The interactions between sub-threshold terpenes which can promote aroma perception was further confirmed by Feller's additive model.