Effects of simultaneous inoculation of non-Saccharomyces yeasts and Saccharomyces cerevisiae jiangnan1# on overall quality, flavor compounds, and sensory analysis of huangjiu

Non-Saccharomyces yeast (NSY) co-fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been widely used to produce high-quality fermented alcoholic beverages. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of 24 NSY strains belonging to 13 different genera co-fermentation with S. cerevisiae jiangnan1# in huangjiu brewing. Different fermentation trials were set up and the effects on huangjiu fermentation were also analyzed. Results indicated that simultaneous inoculation could realize the application of NSY, while the appropriate proportion of S. cerevisiae and NSY (1:1 or 1:10) showed differential effects. Finally, three types of NSY strains (Zygosacchar-omyces rouxii Non-Sc11, Kloeckera apiculata Non-Sc17, and Candida tropicalis Non-Sc21) with high ethanol content (>16% vol), moderate concentration of higher alcohols (<400 mg/L, 14% vol), higher production of esters (P < 0.05), and lower organic acid (P < 0.05) were obtained ultimately. The sensory evaluation demonstrated that using no less than one kind of the three NSY strains in simultaneous fermentation with S. cerevisiae jiangnan1# (1:1) resulted in sensory diversity of new huangjiu styles. In addition, the method for evaluation and application of NSY in co-fermentation with S. cerevisiae jiangnan1# in huangjiu brewing had been established for the first time, which could be directly applied in industrial production of huangjiu.