Study of ultrasonic wave treatments for accelerating the aging process in a rice alcoholic beverage

This research focussed on the accelerated aging of a rice alcoholic beverage by applying two different levels of ultrasonic power. The rice alcoholic beverage was fermented with Saccharomyces sake. The control treatment was aged for one year in fired clay containers (standard aging) while two other treatments simulated aging by using 20 kHz and 1.6 MHz ultrasonic waves, respectively (accelerated aging). Comparisons were made of alcohol content, titratable acidity value, gas chromatography measurements of volatile aroma compounds, sensory evaluation and time of aging. Results showed that the 20 kHz treatment influences rice alcoholic beverage aging better than the 1.6 MHz treatment. The 20 kHz ultrasonic wave treatment has potential as a good alternative method for aging the alcoholic beverage. Further studies are needed to elucidate the best power range of ultrasonic waves for aging alcoholic beverages made of various materials. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.