Wang Jianfeng, Kong Xiangjin, Han Yuqi, Sam Faisal Eudes, Li Jixin, Qi Zhengmei, Jiang Yumei
College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health, Ministry of Education, Beijing Technology & Business University, Beijing 100048, China.
College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.
Ultrason Sonochem. 2025 May;116:107319. doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2025.107319. Epub 2025 Mar 20.
The growing demand for natural and functional beverages has driven research aimed at improving the quality of herbal meads. This study investigates the use of non-thermal processing methods, ultrasonic, microwave, and high hydrostatic pressure processing, as alternatives to traditional natural aging for improving the physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity, color stability, and volatile compound profile of astragalus mead. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize fermentation conditions, which yielded the highest flavonoid content and sensory quality at an impregnation time of 12 h, an impregnation temperature of 10 °C, and a fermentation temperature of 20 °C. Among the processing methods evaluated (natural aging, ultrasound, microwave irradiation, and high hydrostatic pressure), ultrasound treatment resulted in the most significant improvements. Specifically, it increased total phenol content by 7.22 %, total flavonoid content by 9.41 %, and antioxidant capacity by 65.43 %. Volatile compound analysis also revealed a 191.30 % increase in ester content, significantly enhancing floral and fruity notes. Sensory analysis using quantitative descriptive analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis confirmed the efficacy of ultrasound, with ethyl caprylate identified as a key aroma contributor. These findings suggest that ultrasound is an effective non-thermal processing technique for improving the aging process and overall quality of astragalus mead. This study provides valuable insights for the industrial application of non-thermal processing technologies in astragalus mead production.
对天然和功能性饮料日益增长的需求推动了旨在提高草本蜂蜜酒品质的研究。本研究考察了非热加工方法，即超声、微波和高静水压处理，作为传统自然陈酿的替代方法，以改善黄芪蜂蜜酒的理化性质、抗氧化活性、颜色稳定性和挥发性化合物谱。采用响应面法优化发酵条件，在浸渍时间12小时、浸渍温度10℃和发酵温度20℃时，黄酮含量和感官品质最高。在所评估的加工方法（自然陈酿、超声、微波辐照和高静水压）中，超声处理带来的改善最为显著。具体而言，它使总酚含量增加了7.22%，总黄酮含量增加了9.41%，抗氧化能力增加了65.43%。挥发性化合物分析还显示酯含量增加了191.30%，显著增强了花香和果香。使用定量描述分析、偏最小二乘判别分析和加权基因共表达网络分析的感官分析证实了超声的效果，己酸乙酯被确定为关键香气成分。这些发现表明，超声是一种有效的非热加工技术，可改善黄芪蜂蜜酒的陈酿过程和整体品质。本研究为非热加工技术在黄芪蜂蜜酒生产中的工业应用提供了有价值的见解。
