Fermentation of buckwheat rice wine based on a new mixed Jiuqu and its quality evaluation

Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn. is a medicinal and food crop, and the rice wine fermented from it has high nutritional value. In this study, we focused on the quality characteristics of buckwheat rice wine. We innovatively adopted a mixed Jiuqu (Group A) consisting of Rhizopus arrhizus , Wickerhamomyces anomalus , Saccharomycopsis fibuligera , and Cyberlindnera fabianii for fermentation. Given that few studies have investigated the quality characteristics of Tartary buckwheat rice wine, the present study used traditional commercially available jiuqu-fermented Tartary buckwheat rice wine (Group B) and pure glutinous rice wine fermented with a mixture of jiuqu (Group C) as references. The experiments comprehensively covered sensory evaluation of the electronic tongue and nose, HS-SPME-GC-MS for analysis of volatile flavor substances, and amino acid analysis. These analyses were conducted to comprehensively analyze the quality characteristics of the rice wine. The essential amino acid (EAA) content in Group A reached 2.596 ± 0.033 mg/mL, which was an increase of 4.47% and 19.69% compared to those in Groups B and C, respectively. The results of the present study revealed that the buckwheat rice wine fermented with a mixture of jiuqu had significant advantages in terms of fermentation efficiency, flavor complexity, mouthfeel texture, and antioxidant ability. • We prepared a mixed Jiuqu of molds and yeasts suitable for rice wine fermentation. • Initial study on the impact of mixed strains on buckwheat rice wine quality. • Mixed Jiuqu-fermented buckwheat rice wine has a richer flavor. • Antioxidant capacity of mixed Jiuqu-fermented buckwheat rice wine notably enhanced.