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Fermentation Atlas

Alcoholic drinks from Guangxi

Mixiang (rice-aroma) baijiu — Guilin Sanhuajiu米香型白酒

Rice-aroma baijiu is a clear spirit distilled from rice fermented with a rice-flour qu. The steamed rice first saccharifies as a solid for a day or two, then water is added and the mash ferments as a semi-liquid for about 8–15 days before it is distilled. It is known for a light, honey-like aroma. Made in 5 steps over 12 days – 20 days. The longest step, add water and ferment as a semi-liquid, takes 8–15 days (Wang H. et al. 2023) and runs at 27–29 °C (Wang H. et al. 2023). Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomycopsis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step8–15 daysMeasured[wang2023][liang2024][li2025]Add water and ferment as a semi-liquid
Temperature27–29 °CMeasured[wang2023]Add water and ferment as a semi-liquid
Fully documentedAlcoholic drinks12 days – 20 daysMore alcoholic drinksMore from China

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceA lab batch in a fermentation jar made to the general rice-aroma baijiu process (Wang et al. 2023). A second study used 0.4 % xiaoqu and the same 250 g rice to 300 mL water.
250 gSteamed rice[wang2023]
2 % or 1.2 % of the rice (w/w)Jiuqu starter · Two commercial Guangdong starters were tested[wang2023]
300 mLSterile water · Added after saccharification[wang2023]
Starterkoji/qu/mold-starter (Rhizopus-rich rice xiaoqu / jiuqu)

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 days – 20 days

Start
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30 °Cshapes, not to countRhizopusSaccharomyces

What changes: Moulds and yeasts grow through balls of rice flour and bran

Step 1 of 5
Make the rice qu (jiuqu)
Time
2 days
Reported
Temperature
30 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Rhizopus
Saccharomyces
Rhizopus enzymes
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Lactic acid bacteria

Rice flour and oil bran are mixed and kneaded into steamed-bun shapes. Output: dry rice qu.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Rhizopus, Saccharomycopsis and Saccharomyces grow through the rice flour

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Rice-aroma baijiu saccharifies the rice as a solid and then ferments it with added water as a semi-liquid, a combination that sets it apart from sauce-, light- and strong-aroma baijiu. Its fermentation is short, about 8–15 days, and it is started with a small rice-flour qu.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Guilin SanhuajiuThe best-known rice-aroma baijiu; traditionally aged in caves at Guilin (Wikipedia, outline only).

Safety

Distilled spirit; the safety issues are those of strong alcohol. Acid built up in the mash helps hold back unwanted bacteria during fermentation.

Hazards the sources name: Enterobacter and Klebsiella (minor bacterial genera during saccharification).

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Rice-aroma baijiu is one of the basic baijiu aroma types and is most popular in southern China.

  1. [li2025] Li Q. et al. 2025, Metagenomics-based analysis of microbial community dynamics and flavor compound correlations during rice-flavor Baijiu brewing, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 13:1638716paper
  2. [wang2023] Wang H. et al. 2023, Characterization and correlation of microbiota and higher alcohols based on metagenomic and metabolite profiling during rice-flavor Baijiu fermentation, Foods 12(14):2720paper
  3. [liang2024] Liang J. et al. 2024, Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Cyberlindnera fabianii inoculation on rice-flavor Baijiu fermentation, Foods 13(19):3175paper
  4. [WP:Baijiu] Wikipedia, Baijiu (outline only)wiki