Research Article - Journal of Food Technology and Preservation (2023) Volume 7, Issue 6

The effects of different sorghum varieties on the microbial fermentation dynamics of Huangjiu (Chinese-rice-wine)

Huangjiu (Chinese-rice-wine) is a fermented alcoholic beverage traditionally brewed with cereal grains (mainly wheat and rice) and wheat Qu (starter cultures), thus making it undesirable to consumers with gluten dietary restrictions. With the increased interest towards developing alternative food products for niche markets (gluten intolerant consumers), sorghum represents an ideal candidate due to the lack of gluten and important source of dietary antioxidants. Therefore, the objective of this research was to study the effect on fermentation dynamics when a gluten-free commercially available starter was used to produce Huangjiu from sorghum. Three different sorghum whole grain varieties (white, waxy, sumac) were used as substrates. Microbial and physiochemical analysis were conducted in triplicates. Taxonomy annotation and Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) were used to describe the microbial profiles of the sorghum Hangjiu. By the end of the study, the three sorghum Hangjiu reached the pH range between 3.7 to 4.1, Aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds increased progressively during the first part of the fermentation and followed a steady decline by day-10. Saccharomyces was the dominant genera detected in the starter culture and in the final fermented product. The highest fermentation yield was observed in sorghum (Table 1). This study demonstrated the possibility of using alternative ingredients in Huangjiu production by utilizing a different substrate (e.g., sorghum) for consumer’s niche market.

Author(s): KaWang Li, UmutYucel, Valentina Trinetta*

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