The unique development of the manufacturing technology of Japanese distilled spirit

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K02188
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08030:Family and consumer sciences, and culture and living-related
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: Yoshizaki Yumiko 鹿児島大学, 農水産獣医学域農学系, 准教授 (80452936)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 焼酎 / 蒸留酒 / 小曲米酒 / 麹 / 小曲 / 製造技術

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We aimed to reveal that the unique development of the manufacturing technology for the Japanese distilled spirit by comparing with Chinese distilled spirit. We investigated that the relationship between the common and unique parts of manufacturing process of awamori and kome-shochu which are Japanese spirit, and rice-flavor baijiu which is Chinese spirit by analyzing the chemical and flavor profiles. Ethyl lactate and 1-octen-3-ol were identified as the key volatile compounds for rice-flavor baijiu and awamori, respectively. We indicated that the solid-state saccharification process of rice-flavor baijiu plays a same role as koji-making of awamori and kome-shochu and contributes high level of ethyl lactate in rice-flavor baijiu. We revealed that the solid-state saccharification of rice-flavor baijiu and koji-making of awamori and kome-shochu are the important processes to form each characteristic flavor.

Free Research Field

生物化学、発酵食品学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究成果は，日本の伝統的蒸留酒である「焼酎」はいかなる酒であるのか，について製造工程およびその意義を科学的に明らかにすることを目的とした。焼酎は日本において約500年の歴史をもつ日本古来の酒であるにも関わらず，その認識は日本国内においても低く，かつ国際的な認知も低かった。我々の研究において焼酎らしさの形成と製造工程との関係を解明し，海外の酒との違いおよび共通点を明確に示すことで，世界の酒における焼酎の位置を明らかにすることができた。この成果は，焼酎の国内外における認知向上につながるものであり，輸出促進に貢献するものと期待される。