{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T13:01:09Z","timestamp":1785416469363,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,27]],"date-time":"2026-05-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779840000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["32360571"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32360571"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Program of National Natural Science Foundation","award":["324727319"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["324727319"]}]},{"award":["324727319"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["324727319"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Guizhou Science and Technology Achievement Project","award":["[2023] 477"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["[2023] 477"]}]},{"name":"Guizhou Fund Project","award":["ZK[2024]"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ZK[2024]"]}]},{"name":"Qiankehe Zhongyindi","award":["[2026]006"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["[2026]006"]}]},{"name":"Research on the Brewing Technology of Muhuang Characteristic Style Jiang-flavor Baijiu","award":["[2023] 477"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["[2023] 477"]}]},{"name":"Guizhou Science and Technology Achievement Project LH","award":["[2025]"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["[2025]"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Low-alcohol base baijiu, a by-product of Jiang-flavor baijiu production, contains abundant flavor compounds, yet its flavor structure remains insufficiently understood, limiting its high-value utilization. This study integrated flavoromics with interpretable machine learning to characterize the flavor structure of Jiang-flavor low-alcohol base baijiu and identify its key driving factors. During distillation, ethanol decreased from 38.67% to 6.50% (v\/v), whereas total acidity increased from 2.74 to 7.53 g\/L and pH decreased from 3.01 to 2.59, accompanied by a sensory transition from harmonious and full-bodied notes to sour and salty attributes. Based on sensory and flavor component analysis, the samples can be divided into three gradients according to ethanol volume fraction (&gt;20%, 10\u201320%, &lt;10%), and their flavor profiles exhibit a systematic evolution: as alcohol content decreases, the relative content of esters and alcohols decreases, while the relative content of acids increases. Random Forest identified 3-methyl-1-butanol, furfuryl ethyl ether, and tetramethyl pyrazine as key markers positively associated with harmonious and smooth attributes (r &gt; 0.93) and negatively associated with sour and salty notes. Odor activity value analysis further quantified stage-dependent sensory contributions. The XGBoost model accurately predicted flavor stages (accuracy = 0.955), and SHAP analysis highlighted low-threshold esters and acids as critical regulators of flavor quality. These findings provide a quantitative and interpretable framework for precision blending, quality grading, and the valorization of low-alcohol base baijiu.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15111891","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,27]],"date-time":"2026-05-27T12:31:56Z","timestamp":1779885116000},"page":"1891","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Decoding the Flavor Structure of Jiang-Flavor Low-Alcohol Base Baijiu: A Machine Learning-Driven Approach to Reveal the Flavor Evolution Patterns and Key Quality Control Nodes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Jiaxing","family":"Geng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Liquor and Food Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yongguang","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering and Biological Pharmacy of Guizhou Province, College of Liquor and Food Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, J., Zhang, Q., and Sun, B. 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