Abstract:
Huangjiu, regarded as China’s national alcoholic beverage, has been widely favored for its mellow taste and richness in nutrients such as proteins, polyphenols, and carbohydrates. However, the precipitation during storage and distribution has been found to negatively impact its market acceptance. At present, the issue of precipitation has become a bottleneck restricting the high-quality development of the Huangjiu industry. To date, the understanding of precipitation mechanisms and elimination process in Huangjiu has largely been derived from practices used in beer and wine production, resulting in a lack of targeted solutions specific to Huangjiu. Based on this, a systematic review is conducted in this paper on the classification, precipitation mechanisms, and elimination process of precipitation in Huangjiu. The potential pathways of precipitation formation in Huangjiu are first elucidated. Subsequently, the commonly used technologies for precipitation reduction and control in Huangjiu, such as filtration, flocculation and precipitation, enzymatic hydrolysis, and sterilization methods, are summarized, with a focus on their applications in controling precipitation. On this basis, the feasibility of reducing precipitation by regulating key precipitation-inducing proteins at the source through gene editing of wheat—the primary raw material— is further proposed. Finally, it is proposed that precipitation in Huangjiu can be effectively addressed through the systematic elucidation of its formation mechanisms, the optimization of processing parameters, and the integration of emerging technologies, thereby enabling precise control throughout the entire production process. This review aims to offer theoretical support for the stability control of the traditional Huangjiu brewing system in China, thereby facilitating the improvement of product quality and the high-efficiency development of the Huangjiu industry.