East meets west in alcoholic beverages: Flavor comparison, microbial metabolism and health effects

As one kind of beverages, alcoholic beverage is deeply loved by people around the world. Affected by factors such as raw materials, geographical environment, and brewing techniques, alcoholic beverage has evolved into various types with different sensory characteristics. Among them, the key flavor substances in different alcoholic beverages vary in types and contents, and serve as the key factor to form alcoholic beverages with varied sensory. Studies also indicate that the metabolism of microorganisms during the brewing process is the main reason for the sensory divergences in alcoholic beverages. However, there is no systematic review and summary of the similarities and individual differences in sensory related with flavor substances among different alcoholic beverages. Focusing on representative alcoholic beverages, including baijiu and huangjiu in China, as well as grape wine, beer, brandy, whisky, vodka and rum that popular in the western countries, this review makes a detailed comparative analysis of the kinds and flavor characteristics of key flavor substances, as well as the similarities and differences of flavor substances in alcoholic beverages from eastern and western countries, and compares the metabolic performance of key microorganisms in the brewing process. The study also investigates the impact of wine intake on health, aiming to provide some reference for the differences and connections between fermented alcoholic beverages in the East and the West, and clarify the reasons why alcoholic beverage can last for a long time as a highly controversial food.