New technology shortens China's baijiu brewing time

The researchers used microwaves to reduce the traditional baijiu aging time from several years to 45 minutes.

Traditional Chinese liquor, baijiu (baijiu), is a complex, strong liquor, said to have more than 1,000 chemical components that contribute to its flavor. However, this wine is not drinkable in its raw state, but needs to be aged for more than two years for the chemicals to break down, mix and stabilize.

White wine is said to have more than 1,000 chemicals that contribute to the flavor. (Image: Shutterstock)

Liu Jianxue and colleagues at the Henan Food Materials Engineering Research Center say that the incubation process can be accelerated by exposing the liquid to an average amount of microwave radiation (500 watts) for 80 minutes. , while maintaining the temperature in the wine bottle at 45 degrees Celsius.

In the study, published in the journal Nuclear Agricultural Sciences on February 7, the team of scientists found that the mixture of unstable substances in microwaved wine - which determines aroma and flavor retention - is close to identical to the natural compost.

Rapid aging is a controversial issue in the winemaking process. Experts have tested a variety of methods to speed up this process, including microwave technology, heating, pressurization and nuclear radiation. But so far, only a few companies have applied them to production due to the uncertainty of the new technology.

Liu's team says the parameters in their study (500 watts, 80 minutes, 45 degrees Celsius) are based on years of experimentation and are commercially applicable. "This is a method that has been optimized and can be used in large-scale production," they said.

Increasing the production of baijiu by traditional methods is relatively difficult due to the aging process. "Aging takes two to five years. Not only is this process extremely slow, but it also causes other problems such as leaks and lack of storage space," says Liu.

Rapid annealing technology can help increase scale and significantly reduce production costs. Liu said they are seeking official reviews for their products from expert tasters.

In a study by a team of experts at the Sichuan Atomic Energy Institute in September, wine experts conducted "blind" tastings (participants didn't know what kind of wine they were tasting). As a result, the artificially brewed Chinese liquor has almost the same taste as the natural brew. Another study, conducted in October by professor Cai Zhipeng at Tsinghua University and colleagues, showed that combining different physical interventions such as the use of microwaves and magnetic fields can produce results. better.

However, whether consumers will buy new technology alcohol or not is still uncertain. "I don't think microwave baijiu is a good idea. I won't drink at all," said Li Xuebin, a Beijing resident.