Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with low-yield higher alcohols and high-yield acetate esters improve the quality, drinking comfort and safety of huangjiu.

Higher alcohols (HAs) and acetate esters (AEs) produced by yeasts are two important volatile flavor substances in fermented alcoholic beverages (FABs). To improve the FABs overall quality, lab-scale huangjiu brewing and systematic evaluation were performed using 171 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Finally, two S. cerevisiae strains that produced lower HAs and higher AEs were obtained and named jiangnan1# and jiangnan3#, respectively. The results of production-scale huangjiu fermentation indicated that HAs produced by jiangnan1# sample decreased by 24.99 %, and AEs produced by jiangnan1# increased by 36.35 %. Sensory evaluation showed that the acidic taste, honey aroma attribute intensity were higher in 85# huagnjiu, and the fruity aroma attribute intensity was higher in jiangnan1# huangjiu (P < 0.01). Moreover, urea and ethyl carbamate produced by jiangnan1# strain were degraded by 13.89 % and 45.51 % compared with those of the control strain 85#, indicating the positive effects of jiangnan1# strain on health and safety. Thus, the obtained S. cerevisiae strains in this study can better enhance the flavor and improve the drinking safety and comfort of huangjiu.