A method for efficient conversion of dehydrated cabbage waste liquid into high ester vinegar

The utilization of wastewater in food processing factory has become one of the foremost essential and challengeable problems. In this study, cabbage wastewater was used for a mixed fermentation to obtain a high ester vinegar. The effect of fermentation conditions on the total acid content and total ester content of vinegar was investigated through single-factor experiments and response surface methodology analysis. Under the optimal fermentation conditions of 10.61% inoculation amount, 4.9% initial alcohol content, 29.62 °C fermentation temperature, 75.21 h fermentation time, and the exogenous esterification addition amount of 0.6%. The blending vinegar has a total acid content of 3.80 g 100 mL^-1 and a total ester content of 30.52 mg mL^-1. The significant flavor components in the blending vinegar of the ethyl lactate with a pleasant aroma accounted for 22.15% and the ethyl acetate with a strong fruit aroma accounted for 11.37%.