ear room temperature, or baijiu (Chinese whisky) or sake warmed. Now, scientists have found that the taste of alcoholic drinks can change depending on the temperature they are served at, and this could be due to the way water and ethanol molecules form clusters.In a recent study published in the journal Matter on May 1, researchers have found that the taste of alcoholic drinks can be affected by the temperature at which they are consumed. The study suggests that the way water and ethanol molecules interact at a molecular level may influence the perception of “ethanol-like” flavors in beverages. This research may have implications for the enjoyment of drinks such as baijiu (Chinese whisky) or sake when served at different temperatures. Lead author Lei Jiang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recalled a conversation with first author Xiaotao Yang about the study, which was inspired by their shared interest in the topic.”At that time, I was a member of the scientific committee for a major Chinese alcoholic beverage company. I had a thought and asked myself, ‘Why does Chinese baijiu have such specific alcohol concentrations, such as 38%-42%, 52%-53%, or 68%-75%?'”
“So we decided to experiment. I placed a drop of beer on my hand to observe the contact angle,” Jiang explains.
Following this, Jiang, Yang, and their team went to the laboratory to measure the contact angle of various solutions with increasing alcohol concentrations in water. The contact angle is a standard way of measuring a liquid’s surface tension, and it also helps to determine the wettability of a surface.The article explains how the interactions between molecules in a droplet and the surface below can be observed. For instance, water on a glass surface has a low contact angle, causing it to form a bead-like shape, while high alcohol concentration spirits have a higher contact angle, causing them to flatten and spread out. Researchers were astonished to discover that the contact angle did not increase steadily with alcohol concentration, but instead showed irregular plateaus as it increased. Further experiments revealed that this was due to the formation of different clusters within the droplet.An interesting discovery was made by researchers about the behavior of ethanol and water in solution. When there are low concentrations of ethanol, it forms pyramid-shaped structures around water molecules. However, as the concentration of ethanol increases, it begins to arrange itself end to end like a chain. The researchers also found that the observed plateaus in the solutions would appear or disappear when heated or cooled. These findings could potentially explain the differences in how alcohol taste is perceived. For instance, the ethanol concentrations of 38%-42% and 52%-53% in baijiu could be affected by these behaviors.The cluster structures of baijiu are noticeable at room temperature, but this distinction disappears at higher temperatures, such as 40°C. This may clarify why both professional and amateur tasters can detect these baijiu concentrations at room temperature but not at higher temperatures. At higher temperatures, both concentrations form more chain-like structures, resulting in a more “ethanol-like” taste.
Even though there is only a 1% difference, the taste of baijiu at 51% and 52% is noticeably different. The taste of baijiu at 51% is similar to that of lower alcohol content, such as 38%-42%. Therefore, in order to achieve the same taste at a lower alcohol content…
In terms of alcohol content, baijiu products are mainly distributed within the 38%-42% and 52%-53% categories,” Jiang explains.
Similarly, experts note that beer tends to have a stronger “ethanol-like” flavor after it has been chilled. The findings of these studies indicate that there is a noticeable increase in the chain-like structures in 5% and 11% ethanol solutions at 5°C.
“At low temperatures, the tetrahedral (pyramid-shaped) clusters are present in lower concentrations, which is why we prefer to drink cold beer,” Jiang adds.
The researchers suggest that this discovery could be utilized by the alcoholic beverage industry to achieve a certain.A study has found that the taste of alcoholic beverages is determined by the clusters of ethanol and water, and this can help in achieving a more ethanol-like taste with the lowest possible ethanol concentration. The research was conducted by Xiaotao Yang, Jia Zheng, Xianfeng Luo, Hongyan Xiao, Peijia Li, Xiaodong Luo, Ye Tian, Lei Jiang, and Dong Zhao and was published in the journal Matter. The study is available online with DOI 10.1016/j.matt.2024.03.017.