Chinese herbal medicine plant distiller's yeast and application thereof in six-grain wine brewing

Abstract

The invention provides Chinese herbal medicine plant distiller's yeast and application thereof in six-grain wine brewing. The distiller's yeast is composed of a main material matrix and herbal materials in a specific ratio, a synergistic effect is formed, symbiosis of multiple microorganisms is promoted, and the saccharification capacity and liquefaction capacity of the distiller's yeast are enhanced. According to the gradient temperature roasting process, treatment is carried out according to the characteristics of different main materials, effective components are reserved, and the flavor characteristics of the raw materials are improved. The three-stage fermentation control technology optimizes the growth and metabolism process of microorganisms by regulating and controlling environmental conditions in stages, improves the fermentation efficiency and ensures the stability. The two-stage aging process further consolidates the quality characteristics of the distiller's yeast. In the six-grain wine brewing process, the distiller's yeast can meet the fermentation requirements of various grain raw materials and promote formation of flavor substances, and through scientific matching of Chinese herbal medicine plant components and combination of gradient temperature roasting and frying, three-stage fermentation control and a two-stage aging process, flora diversity improvement, flavor optimization and industrial suitability are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of winemaking, in particular to Chinese herbal medicine plant koji and its application in the brewing of six-grain wine. Through the koji formula and preparation process, combined with the brewing method of six-grain wine, the flavor, fermentation efficiency and stability of the wine are improved. Background Art

[0002] Traditional koji (drinking yeast) often uses a single grain or simple recipe, resulting in issues such as insufficient bacterial activity, monotonous flavor, and poor batch stability. While some existing technologies have attempted to add Chinese herbal ingredients to koji, these often lack scientific proportions and systematic process support, resulting in limited synergistic effects. Furthermore, the complex brewing process for six-grain liquor requires high saccharification, liquefaction, and flavor control capabilities of the koji, making it difficult for existing koji to meet these requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention proposes a Chinese herbal medicine plant yeast and its application in the brewing of Liuliang Liquor. The specific technical solution is as follows: A Chinese herbal medicine plant yeast, comprising the following components in percentage by mass: Main ingredient matrix group: old variety red rice 50±2%, high mountain buckwheat 30±1%; Herbal functional group: Polygonum hydropiper 8±0.5%, Xanthium sibiricum leaf 4±0.3%, Verbena officinalis 3±0.2%, Citron leaf 2±0.1%, Cymbopogon citratus 1±0.05%; Strain activation group: aged koji powder 2±0.1%; Mountain spring water, pH 6.5-7.0, hardness <50mg / L; The Chinese herbal medicine plant yeast is prepared by sequentially adopting a gradient temperature roasting process, a three-stage fermentation control technology and a two-stage aging process.

[0004] Furthermore, the gradient temperature roasting process includes: Red rice processing: fry at 120℃ for 5 minutes, sauté at 160℃ for 30 seconds, and cool slowly at 80℃; Buckwheat processing: roast at 150℃ for 8 minutes.

[0005] Furthermore, the three-stage fermentation control technology includes: Primary fermentation: Fermentation at 25-28°C for 72 hours, covered with 3-5cm of pine needles, humidity 70% RH; Secondary fermentation: Ferment at 30-32°C for 48 hours, remove 50% of the covering, and reduce the humidity to 60% RH; Fermentation during the stable period: Fermentation at 25°C for 120 hours, with natural ventilation increased by 30%.

[0006] Furthermore, the two-stage aging process includes: Initial aging in pottery jars: 30 days, temperature 18-20℃, humidity controlled with pine charcoal; Final aging: 60 days in a constant temperature cellar 3m underground.

[0007] The application of Chinese herbal medicine plant koji in the brewing of Liuliang liquor is characterized by comprising the following steps: The six-grain formula, according to the quality ratio, includes 10% corn, 30% sorghum, 20% glutinous rice, 15% oats, 15% buckwheat, and 10% rice; Grain pretreatment: soaking in weak alkaline water at 36℃ for a certain period of time, and gradient cooking; Cooling and adding koji: Cool the grain to 28-30℃, add the above-mentioned Chinese herbal medicine koji powder at a ratio of 0.6-0.8%, and mix the koji uniformity to >95%; Saccharification and fermentation: Keep the saccharification box warm for more than 24 hours, with a temperature gradient of 18°C → 35°C, and a saccharification rate of ≥85%; ferment in a tank for 30 days, with the temperature controlled within 35°C; Distillation and aging: distill the liquor over low heat, cut off the head and tail, and age in ceramic jars for ≥180 days.

[0008] Furthermore, the gradient cooking in the grain pretreatment includes: Boil the corn at 90℃ for 30 minutes, add sorghum, oats, buckwheat, and peas and cook at 90℃ for 40 minutes, then add glutinous rice and cook at 90℃ for 20 minutes; drain the cooking water, steam at 100℃ for 40 minutes, and steam at 100℃ with the lid open for 30 minutes.

[0009] Furthermore, in the saccharification and fermentation steps, the temperature gradient of the saccharification tank is 18°C→35°C, and the saccharification rate is ≥85%.

[0010] Furthermore, in the distillation and aging steps, the temperature of the liquor is 20-25° C. over a low fire, and the head and tail are cut off to remove methanol and fusel oil.

[0011] The above technical solution has the following beneficial effects: The distiller's yeast of the present invention adopts a main ingredient matrix and herbal functional components in a specific ratio to form a synergistic effect, promote the symbiosis of multiple microorganisms, and enhance the saccharification and liquefaction capabilities of the distiller's yeast. The gradient temperature roasting process is processed according to the characteristics of different main ingredients, which not only retains the effective ingredients but also improves the flavor characteristics of the raw materials. The three-stage fermentation control technology optimizes the growth and metabolism process of microorganisms by regulating environmental conditions in stages, improves fermentation efficiency and ensures stability. The two-stage aging process further consolidates the quality characteristics of the distiller's yeast. In the brewing of six-grain liquor, the distiller's yeast can adapt to the fermentation needs of various grain raw materials, promote the formation of flavor substances, and effectively control the content of harmful ingredients through process optimization. The present invention achieves enhanced microbial diversity, flavor optimization and industrial adaptability through the scientific ratio of Chinese herbal plant ingredients, combined with gradient temperature roasting, three-stage fermentation control and two-stage aging process. The parameters of the present invention are clear and operable. It not only retains the characteristics of traditional brewing, but also meets the standardization requirements of industrial production, providing reliable technical support for the large-scale production of high-quality multi-grain liquor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The following is a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0013] Example 1: This example is a method for preparing Chinese herbal medicine wine yeast, which is as follows: The preparation process includes several key steps: raw material preparation, mixing and dough making, three-stage fermentation control and two-stage aging.

[0014] During the raw material preparation stage, 250g of old variety red rice, accounting for 50%, and 150g of high mountain buckwheat, accounting for 30%, were taken and subjected to gradient temperature roasting treatment respectively.

[0015] The red rice is first fried at 120℃ for 5 minutes, then heated to 160℃ for 30 seconds, and finally slowly cooled to 80℃. This process is designed to stimulate starch activity and retain flavor precursors. Buckwheat is roasted at a constant temperature of 150℃ for 8 minutes to remove the green taste and enhance the malt aroma.

[0016] The roasted raw materials need to be crushed to 80 mesh for later use.

[0017] The herbal functional group weighed 40g (8%) of Polygonum hydropiper, 20g (4%) of Xanthium sibiricum leaves, 15g (3%) of Verbena officinalis, 10g (2%) of Citronella leaves, and 5g (1%) of Cymbopogon citratus, dried them in sections, and then mixed and ground. The activated fungus group used 10g (2%) of aged koji powder as the mother fungus.

[0018] When mixing and making the dough, the red rice flour, buckwheat flour, herbal powder and koji powder are evenly mixed, and mountain spring water with a pH value of 6.5-7.0 and a hardness of less than 50 mg / L is added and kneaded to make the koji dough.

[0019] In the three-stage fermentation control, the primary fermentation is to place the koji in an environment of 25-28℃ for 72 hours, covered with 3-5cm pine needles, and maintain the humidity at 70%RH to enrich Rhizopus and yeast; During the secondary fermentation, the temperature is raised to 30-32°C, 50% of the covering is removed, the humidity is reduced to 60% RH, and the fermentation is carried out for 48 hours to activate the high-temperature resistant bacteria. During the stable fermentation period, the temperature is lowered to 25°C, the natural ventilation volume is increased by 30%, and the fermentation is carried out for 120 hours to promote the colonization of Monascus and form a light red characteristic.

[0020] The two-stage aging process involves initial aging in pottery jars and final aging in cellars. The initial aging involves transferring the yeast into pottery jars and aging them for 30 days at 18-20°C, using pine charcoal to regulate humidity and stabilize bacterial activity. The final aging involves transferring the yeast to a constant-temperature cellar 3 meters underground for 60 days to mellow the flavor compounds and ultimately produce the finished yeast.

[0021] The koji prepared in this example offers several advantages. In terms of microbial diversity, the synergistic effect of the herbal components allows for the symbiosis of Rhizopus, yeast, and Monascus, significantly increasing bacterial abundance. Furthermore, the addition of citron leaves and lemongrass imparts a complex fruity and malty aroma to the koji, increasing the content of characteristic esters (such as ethyl acetate and ethyl lactate). Furthermore, the three-stage fermentation process significantly enhances saccharification and liquefaction capacity, reducing batch consistency variations.

[0022] Example 2: Application of Chinese herbal medicine yeast in the brewing of Liuliang liquor The brewing process includes six-grain formula, grain pretreatment, cooling and adding koji, saccharification and fermentation, as well as distillation and aging.

[0023] The six-grain formula is a mixture of grains according to mass percentage, namely 10% corn, 30% sorghum, 20% glutinous rice, 15% oats, 15% buckwheat, and 10% rice.

[0024] Grain pretreatment includes soaking and gelatinization. For soaking, the grains are soaked in weakly alkaline water (36°C) in a timed manner: corn soaks for 12 hours, sorghum, oats, buckwheat, and peas soak for 8 hours, and glutinous rice soaks for 2 hours. Gelatinization utilizes a gradient cooking process: corn is cooked at 90°C for 30 minutes, sorghum, oats, buckwheat, and peas are added and cooked at 90°C for 40 minutes, and glutinous rice is added and cooked at 90°C for 20 minutes. After draining the cooking water, the grains are steamed at 100°C for 40 minutes, with the lid open for 30 minutes.

[0025] The process of cooling and adding koji is to cool the gelatinized grain to 28-30°C, add the Chinese herbal medicine koji powder prepared in Example 1 at a ratio of 0.7%, and mix the koji to achieve a uniformity of >95%.

[0026] During the saccharification and fermentation process, the saccharification box is kept warm for more than 24 hours during saccharification, the temperature gradient rises from 18°C to 35°C, and the saccharification rate is ≥85%; during fermentation, the saccharified material is put into the tank and sealed for fermentation for 30 days, and the temperature is controlled within 35°C to promote the formation of ester substances.

[0027] During the distillation and aging stages, the wine is distilled over a low heat, at a low temperature (20-25°C distillation rate), and the head and tail are cut off to remove methanol and fusel oil; during aging, the base wine is transferred to ceramic jars for aging for more than 180 days, significantly increasing the ester content of the wine.

[0028] This brewing method offers significant advantages. In terms of flavor, the finished wine exhibits a distinct blend of fruit and malt aromas, with a 30% increase in total ester content compared to traditional methods. In terms of fermentation efficiency, the superior saccharification and liquefaction capabilities of the Chinese herbal koji shorten the fermentation cycle and increase wine yield by 15%. Furthermore, the antibacterial effects of the herbal components reduce fusel oil production, resulting in a purer wine.

[0029] Example 3: Based on Example 2, this example optimizes the brewing process of six-grain liquor to further improve the quality of the liquor. The six-grain formula is still mixed with grains by mass percentage, with 10% corn, 30% sorghum, 20% glutinous rice, 15% oats, 15% buckwheat, and 10% rice.

[0030] During grain pretreatment, the grains are soaked in weakly alkaline water (36°C) for a period of 12 hours for corn, 8 hours for sorghum, oats, buckwheat, and peas, and 2 hours for glutinous rice. The pH of the soaking water is fine-tuned. It was found that a pH between 7.2 and 7.5 improves water absorption and subsequent gelatinization. Gelatinization is achieved using a gradient cooking process: corn is cooked at 90°C for 30 minutes, sorghum, oats, buckwheat, and peas are added, and cooked at 90°C for 40 minutes, followed by glutinous rice, which is cooked at 90°C for 20 minutes. After draining the cooking water, the grains are steamed at 100°C for 40 minutes, with the lid uncovered for 30 minutes. During the cooking process, the steam pressure and flow are precisely controlled to ensure sufficient gelatinization while preventing nutrient loss due to overcooking.

[0031] When cooling the grain, cool the gelatinized grain to 28-30°C and add 0.7% of the Chinese herbal koji powder prepared in Example 1 or Example 3 to achieve a uniformity of >95%. To improve the uniformity, a combination of mechanical stirring and manual assistance is used to ensure that every grain is fully exposed to the koji powder.

[0032] During the saccharification and fermentation processes, the saccharification tank is insulated for at least 24 hours, with the temperature gradient increasing from 18°C to 35°C and a saccharification rate of ≥85%. During the saccharification process, the sugar content of the saccharified liquid is monitored in real time, and the temperature gradient and holding time are adjusted accordingly to improve saccharification efficiency. During fermentation, the saccharified material is sealed and fermented in a vat for 30 days at a controlled temperature of 35°C to promote the formation of esters. Simultaneously, the oxygen content in the fermentation tank is controlled, increasing it appropriately in the early stages of fermentation to promote yeast growth and reducing it in the middle and late stages of fermentation to promote the synthesis of esters.

[0033] During the distillation and aging stages, the distillate is distilled over a low heat at a low temperature (20-25°C distillation rate), and the head and tail fractions are trimmed to remove methanol and fusel oils. During the distillation process, the flow rate and temperature of the distillate are precisely controlled to ensure the collection of high-quality base liquor. During aging, the base liquor is transferred to ceramic jars for at least 180 days. During the aging process, the jars are regularly turned to allow the base liquor to fully contact with air, promoting aging and the integration of flavor compounds. The resulting finished liquor has a more pronounced flavor profile, with a rich, complex aroma of fruit and malt. The total ester content is over 35% higher than that of traditional methods. Fermentation efficiency is further improved, the fermentation cycle is shortened, and the yield is increased by over 18%. Furthermore, the optimized process has further reduced the fusel oil content in the liquor, resulting in a purer and healthier liquor.

[0034] The above describes the basic principles and main features of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions only illustrate the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention may have various changes and improvements, which fall within the scope of the invention to be protected. The scope of protection of the invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A Chinese herbal medicine wine yeast, characterized in that: The following components are included in percentage by mass: Main ingredient matrix group: old variety red rice 50±2%, high mountain buckwheat 30±1%; Herbal functional group: Polygonum hydropiper 8±0.5%, Xanthium sibiricum leaf 4±0.3%, Verbena officinalis 3±0.2%, Citron leaf 2±0.1%, Cymbopogon citratus 1±0.05%; Strain activation group: aged koji powder 2±0.1%; Mountain spring water, pH 6.5-7.0, hardness <50mg / L; The Chinese herbal medicine plant yeast is prepared by sequentially adopting a gradient temperature roasting process, a three-stage fermentation control technology and a two-stage aging process.

2. The Chinese herbal medicine koji according to claim 1, characterized in that The gradient temperature roasting process comprises: Red rice processing: fry at 120℃ for 5 minutes, sauté at 160℃ for 30 seconds, and cool slowly at 80℃; Buckwheat processing: roast at 150℃ for 8 minutes.

3. The Chinese herbal medicine koji according to claim 1, characterized in that The three-stage fermentation control technology includes: Primary fermentation: Fermentation at 25-28°C for 72 hours, covered with 3-5cm of pine needles, humidity 70% RH; Secondary fermentation: Ferment at 30-32°C for 48 hours, remove 50% of the covering, and reduce the humidity to 60% RH; Fermentation during the stable period: Fermentation at 25°C for 120 hours, with natural ventilation increased by 30%.

4. The Chinese herbal medicine koji according to claim 1, characterized in that The two-stage aging process comprises: Initial aging in pottery jars: 30 days, temperature 18-20℃, humidity controlled by pine charcoal; Final aging: 60 days in a constant temperature cellar 3m underground.

5. An application of the Chinese herbal medicine koji according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in the brewing of Liuliang Liquor, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The six-grain formula, divided by quality, includes 10% corn, 30% sorghum, 20% glutinous rice, 15% oats, 15% buckwheat, and 10% rice; Grain pretreatment: soaking in weak alkaline water at 36℃ for a certain period of time, and gradient cooking; Cooling and adding koji: Cool the grain to 28-30°C, add the Chinese herbal medicine koji powder according to claim 1 at a ratio of 0.6-0.8%, and mix the koji uniformity to >95%; Saccharification and fermentation: Keep the saccharification box warm for more than 24 hours, with a temperature gradient of 18°C → 35°C, and a saccharification rate of ≥85%; ferment in the tank for 30 days, with the temperature controlled within 35°C; Distillation and aging: distill the liquor over low heat, cut off the head and tail, and age in ceramic jars for ≥180 days.

6. The use of the Chinese herbal medicine plant yeast in the brewing of Liuliang Liquor according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gradient cooking in the grain pretreatment includes: Boil the corn at 90℃ for 30 minutes, add sorghum, oats, buckwheat, and peas and cook at 90℃ for 40 minutes, then add glutinous rice and cook at 90℃ for 20 minutes; drain the cooking water, steam at 100℃ for 40 minutes, and steam at 100℃ with the lid open for 30 minutes.

7. The use of the Chinese herbal medicine koji in the brewing of Liuliang Liquor according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the saccharification and fermentation steps, the temperature gradient of the saccharification tank is 18°C→35°C, and the saccharification rate is ≥85%.

8. The use of the Chinese herbal medicine koji in the brewing of Liuliang Liquor according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the distillation and aging steps, the temperature of the wine produced by low-temperature distillation is 20-25° C., and the head and tail are cut off to remove methanol and fusel oil.