Comparative Analysis of Volatile Flavor Compounds in Strongly Flavored Baijiu under Two Different Pit Cap Sealing Processes

Abstract

The solid-state fermentation process of strongly flavored Baijiu is complicated by the co-fermentation of many different microorganisms in the fermentation pools. The traditional fermentation pools of strong flavor Baijiu are sealed with mud, and this sealed-pit mud is not easy to maintain; therefore, the pit cap is prone to cracks and to caving in. The destruction of the sealed-pit mud may lead to instability in the composition and an abundance of microorganisms in the fermentation process that results in fluctuations of product quality. Thus, the production method of replacing the mud cap with a new steel cap is gradually attracting the attention of scientific and technical workers in the industry. However, so far, there have been relatively few reports on the use of steel lids for seali