A Thermodynamic and Kinetic Study on Electrochemical Esterification in Aroma-Enhanced Distilled Liquor (Baijiu)

Abstract

The development of low-alcohol Baijiu is consistent with demand for the industry’s sustainable development. However, the ester aroma of low-alcohol Baijiu is insipid and unstable—mainly due to the hydrolysis of esters during shelf life—thus reducing the industry scale of low-alcohol Baijiu to a significantly small range. An electrochemical method for improving low-alcohol Baijiu’s ester concentration and stability was investigated from the aspects of thermodynamics and kinetics. The key finding is that the new Baijiu’s ester content obtained through distillation is relatively high, exceeding its content in the thermodynamic equilibrium state. Thus, the ester will be hydrolyzed during shelf life. The idea of applying electrochemical catalytic esterification technology to the production of low-alcohol Baijiu in this study is directly derived from the production practice of Baijiu factories; it provides a direction for the further optimization of low-alcohol Baijiu to facilitate the production of an alternative product that will contribute to public health.