Simultaneous Direct Determination of Various Trace Aroma and Flavor Substances and Derivatives in Baijiu by UPLC-HRMS

A rapid and accurate qualitative and quantitative method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) was established for the determination of various trace aroma and flavor substances and their derivatives in baijiu. Samples were centrifuged at high speed, filtered and separated on a Hypersil Gold C₁₈ (150 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.9 μm) column before analysis. The results showed that the pretreatment process allowed multi-component analysis of baijiu without extraction using ethanol or other organic solvents within 16 minutes. The calibration curves established using a mixed standard solution of 17 amino acids, 4 bioamines and 11 non-volatile organic acids exhibited good linearity (R² > 0.990), and the detection limits and quantitation limits were relatively low for all analytes, which meet the requirements of the compositional analysis of baijiu. The average recoveries for all analytes were 71.92%–117.45%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.46%–5.48%. The developed method had good recovery, precision, and stability for all analytes. Therefore, this method has the advantages of simple operation, high sensitivity, and good repeatability, and is of reference significance for the analysis of the types and contents of other non-volatile flavor substances in baijiu.