Self-assembly mechanism study of Xiaoqu Baijiu in the distillation and condensation stage

The presented work proposes that the self-assembly of amphiphilic compounds in Xiaoqu Baijiu occurs at the distillation and condensation stage of Chinese Baijiu production for the first time. Such phenomena have similitude with the self-assembly nano-particles conducted by evaporation and condensation approaches. Hydrogen-bonding interactions prompting the formation of molecular clusters in the system. Herein, we characterized the variation of dipole moment, hydrogen bond strength, and cluster morphology in Xiaoqu Baijiu, based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and molecular dynamics simulation. The effects of major aroma substances on the self-assembly of Xiaoqu Baijiu were fully investigated, it turns out ethyl lactate had the strongest effect on resulting in self-assembled clusters.