Chinese rice wine (CRW) is an ancient wine with a moderate alcohol content; it has been prized in China for its color, sweet flavor profile, and is a national beverage typically used in banquets. Wheat Qu is the starter used to make CRW, and plays a vital role in the quality and flavor profile. This review details the raw materials and the wheat Qu manufacturing process, and recent information on wheat Qu microbiotas. The volatile compounds in wheat Qus and its flavor are also reviewed. Finally, the enzymes, and metabolites contained in wheat Qu, such as biogenic amines, are also discussed.

Sake is the national alcoholic beverage of Japan, and its history can be traced back more than 1300 years. With the development and maturity of the sake‐brewing technique, a unique flavor and taste gradually formed, which led to its wide use in Japan and internationally. This paper reviews and discusses the research advances of sake rice, koji, and sake yeast. The various enzymes and involved genes of microbes in the rice koji, and the separation/breeding of sake yeasts are expounded particularly. Moreover, the fields where further research is required are presented. Therefore, this review presents recent comprehensive research details of sake's ingredients and the involved study perspectives.

The DNA damage response (DDR) system plays an important role in maintaining genome stability and preventing related diseases. The DDR network comprises many proteins and posttranslational modifications (PTMs) to proteins, which work in a coordinated manner to counteract various genotoxic stresses. Lysine crotonylation (Kcr) is a newly identified PTM occurring in both core histone and non-histone proteins in various organisms. This novel PTM is classified as a reversible acylation modification, which is regulated by a variety of acylases and deacylases and the intracellular crotonyl-CoA substrate concentration. Recent studies suggest that Kcr links cellular metabolism with gene regulation and is involved in numerous cellular processes. In this review, we summarize the regulatory mechanisms of Kcr and its functions in DDR, including its involvement in double-strand break (DSB)-induced transcriptional repression, DSB repair, and the DNA replication stress response.

An amino acid analyzer was used to detect free amino acids (FAA) in Mimai Qu rice wines (SMW and DMW) and control wine samples (Chinese rice wine [CRW] and Japanese sake [JNS]). It was found that CRW had the highest total amino acid (TAA) content (~2814 mg/L), followed by SMW (~2509 mg/L) and DMW (~1474 mg/L), while JNS had the least (~917 mg/L). Amino acid ratio coefficient method (SRCAA), linear regression method, cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used for evaluating the nutritional value of amino acids in wine samples, giving similar results. SMW had the highest nutritional value, followed by CRW and DMW and JNS.