Evolution of the key odorants and aroma profiles in traditional Laowuzeng baijiu during its one-year ageing

Changes of key odorants and aroma profiles of Chinese Laowuzeng baijiu during its one-year ageing were determined by HS-SPME-AEDA and direct injection-AEDA (DI-AEDA). Ethyl hexanoate, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, and 2-phenylethyl acetate showed the highest FD value (486) in all ageing stages. With regards to aroma profiles, fruity, floral, acidic, sweet/honey and cheesy aromas were enhanced during storage, while pickled vegetable, grain and alcoholic notes weakened during the ageing. Quantitation and OAVs showed that most of the aroma compounds (OAVs > 1), including ethyl esters, aldehydes, and acids, increased their contents within the same period, whereas nonanal, 2-phenylethyl acetate, ethyl benzoate, 4-ethylguaiacol, propanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol decreased in content after the storage of 365 days. Simulated aged samples, in which fresh samples were spiked with 18 compounds, were examined by triangle tests, which indicated that the "fruity" compounds were crucial for maintaining the special aroma profile of an aged sample.