Chemical Components of Chinese Baijiu

Chinese baijiu has a long history of more than 2000 years and is currently among the most consumed liquors in the world. Its long history, rich variety, and different methods of manufacture have been the subjects of dozens of publications [1-3]. The past two decades have witnessed tremendous activity in research related to baijiu, resulting in increased modernization of the liquor industry. It has also led to a greater understanding about the influence of environmental factors, raw materials, fermentation, and production practices on the chemical composition, especially volatile flavour constituents, of more than 12 aroma types of traditional baijiu liquors. Progress in this area has been the subject of several recent reviews [2-5]. This chapter presents a comprehensive review of the volatile and non-volatile compounds that have been unambiguously identified in baijiu with a full list.