Volatile organic compounds in rice wine: formation mechanisms and analytical approaches

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play a pivotal role in determining the sensory appeal and consumer acceptance of rice wine. The continuous advancement of flavor analysis technologies, encompassing both extraction and identification methodologies, has not only enabled precise quantification of diverse VOCs but also provided valuable insights for flavor enhancement strategies. The fermentation process is characterized by distinct microbial contributions: moulds, yeasts and lactic acid bacteria facilitate the conversion of intermediate metabolites from raw materials into various VOCs and other flavor compounds through multiple metabolic pathways, including the Ehrlich pathway, fatty acid metabolism, and amino acid catabolism. This review systematically synthesizes recent advancements in rice wine flavor research and proposes future directions focusing on the application of multi-omics technologies to elucidate the complex relationships between fermentation microbiota and flavor metabolic networks. Such investigations will deepen our understanding of flavor formation mechanisms and facilitate the strategies for optimizing rice wine flavor profiles.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-025-02076-7.