Ferulic Acid Production in the Brewing of Rice Wine (Sake)

Abstract

The traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage sake is produced by fermentation of rice by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus oryzae. A. oryzae releases ferulic acid, an antioxidant, from steamed rice during the fermentation process. The concentration of ferulic acid increased with time during fermentation and the production rate peaked 9-12 days post inoculation. Analysis of the fermentation cultures of Aspergillus oryzae, by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC), revealed that pcoumaric acid induced an 18.9-fold increase in the level of ferulic acid. Furthermore, SDS-PAGE analysis revealed an increase or decrease in the level of specific proteins after the addition of p-coumaric acid to fermentation cultures of Aspergillus oryzae. Ferulate esterase (FAE) activity was observed in the fermented sake ten days following the start of the fermentation process. These results suggest that the level of ferulic acid is regulated by the enzymes synthesized by A. oryzae during the sake brewing process.

Ferulic Acid Release and 4-Vinylguaiacol Formation during Chinese Rice Wine Brewing and Fermentation

“…This suggests that the conditions of the mash within the 5 days of the main fermentation stage are favourable for FA release, most probably due to the higher fermentation temperature (30°C). These results are similar to the observations of Uno et al 27 , who reported that the levels of FA increased dramatically from 9-12 days post-inoculation, because of a higher fermentation temperature at this stage. The evolution of the 4-VG levels during the fermentation of Chinese rice wine are presented in Fig.…”

“…Free FA can be released enzymatically from the cell wall polysaccharides of cereals by employing feruloyl esterase. Feruloyl esterase activity has been reported in a Japanese koji used for brewing shochu 12 and sake 27 . Moreover, the existence of different Shochu koji feruloyl esterases has been proposed 11,12 .…”

“…It has been reported that Japanese sake koji and shochu koji provide a wide range of enzymes (amylases, glucoamylases, xylanases, tannases, esterases, and proteases) necessary for the breakdown of carbohydrates and proteins in grains during the fermentation process 6,9,27 . Chinese rice wine wheat Qu, which is made from wheat through a spontaneous inoculation of moulds, bacteria and yeasts in the solid state, is similar to the koji of Japanese sake, but is somewhat wider in scope, because it contains many additional microorganisms, and as a result it also produces a variety of enzymes.…”

Effects of alcoholic beverage treatment on spatial learning and fear memory in mice

“…Long-term administration of ferulic acid is reported to induce resistance to beta-amyloid toxicity in the mouse brain [24]. However, the concentration of ferulic acid in commercially available sake is approximately (0.10-6.6 μg/mL; Uno et al [25]). In a mouse model of receptors in the hippocampus, 10% red wine treatment was affected.…”

Factors affecting phenolic acid liberation from rice grains in the sake brewing process

“…In 1967, a study reported the effect of polishing rate of ingredient rice grains on phenolic compounds in sake (20) and Uno et al (21) researched the formation of ferulic acid in the sake brewing process, however, it is not clear how the different levels of phenolic acid in ingredient rice grains affect the levels in sake. Hence, we investigated factors affecting phenolic acid liberation from rice grains in the sake brewing process, especially focusing on the rice koji making process and koji enzymes, using polished rice grains at different polishing ratios.…”