Quantification of volatile compounds in Chinese soy sauce aroma type liquor by stir bar sorptive extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

BACKGROUND: Considering the important of aroma compounds on the quality of baijiu, stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was applied to the aromas analysis of baijiu (Chinese liquor). RESULTS: Based on the results of optimization, a total of 76 volatile compounds were identified from 14 Chinese liquors, including 25 esters, 10 alcohols, 9 aldehydes and ketones, 8 aromatic compounds, 5 furans, 3 nitrogen-containing compounds, 6 acids, 4 phenols, 3 terpenes, 1 sulfide-containing compound, 1 lactone, and 1 acetal. By principal component analysis based on quantification results, 14 Chinese liquor samples could be classified into three groups. CONCLUSION: SBSE is a fast, simple, effective, and reliable method for extracting volatile compounds from Chinese liquor. The chemometrics approach revealed that LJ liquor with soy sauce aroma could exhibit more prominent sauce flavor through extending the time of storage, and its peculiar manufacturing practice was responsible for the soy sauce flavor. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry