Hongling Gan, Guichun Huang, Lin Zhang, Lanyan Cen, Yifeng Dai, Shuyi Qiu, Xiaodan Wang, Chaoyang Wei
This study examined how the inoculation sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) and Wickerhamomyces anomalus (Wa), along with Dendrobium nobile Lindl. (D. nobile) addition, affects rice wine quality. Sequential inoculation with D. nobile yielded the highest levels of polysaccharides, alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenols. While simultaneous inoculation raised alcohol proportion, sequential inoculation increased ester content. D. nobile reduced total flavor concentration but enhanced its diversity. Metabolic analysis indicated that both factors alter metabolites mainly via amino acid and sugar pathways. Thus, sequential Sc-Wa inoculation with D. nobile is an effective strategy for modulating wine composition, providing a reference for improving fermented rice wine quality.