Abstract:To enhance the flavor and texture of baijiu and improve product quality, we employed pulsed electric fields in conjunction with medical stone treatment to investigate their effects on the quality of light-aroma baijiu. The process was optimized through a combination of single-factor tests, response surface methodology, and artificial neural network analysis integrated with genetic algorithms, with sensory scores used as evaluation metrics. Furthermore, volatile components in the baijiu samples were evaluated and compared before and after optimization through headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results demonstrated that the optimal process conditions were the addition of 1.7 wt% medical stones, treatment time of 22 min, and a pulse voltage of 12 kV. Under these optimized conditions, the sensory score of the light-aroma baijiu was 86.70, which was 16.53% higher than that of the untreated sample, demonstrating a significant improvement in sensory quality. In total, 65 major components were identified in the untreated and optimized baijiu samples through the use of HS-SPME and GC-MS, including eight alcohols, ten acids, 34 esters, eight aldehydes and ketones, and a miscellany of other compounds (five in total). Compared with the untreated baijiu, the relative content of the final optimized samples showed a decrease of 1.41% and 2.24% in alcohol and ester content, respectively, and an increase of 1.17% in acid content. The pulsed electric field combined with medical stone treatment was further shown to promote the mutual transformation of volatile compounds in baijiu, thus effectively boosting its quality and providing new insights into the high-quality development of baijiu.