Identification of Adulteration in Jiang-Flavor Chinese Spirits with Edible Alcohol Based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS Combined with Metabolomics

To combat the fraudulent practice of adulterating Jiang-flavor Chinese spirits with edible alcohol, this study proposes the use of UPLC-Q-TOF/MS combined with metabolomics (ultra-performance liquid chromatography with time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry) analysis to investigate the differential components between authentic Jiang-flavor Chinese spirits and those adulterated with edible alcohol. A total of 175 compounds were identified in both authentic and adulterated samples, of which 74 compounds showed significant differences (p < 0.01, fold change > 5), including acids, esters, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and heterocyclic compounds. OPLS-DA analysis revealed a clear distinction between authentic Jiang-flavor Chinese spirits and those adulterated with edible alcohol, with Q2 and R2Y values both above 0.9 and greater than 0.5, indicating that the model is stable and reliable for the identification of adulteration in Jiang-flavor Chinese spirits.