ABSTRACT
Hanlan Tang, Jiankun Song, and Lixin Luo
Chapter Authors:
Hanlan Tang (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3102-5713" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3102-5713)
Jiankun Song (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7901-4066" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7901-4066)
Lixin Luo (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0880-0144" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0880-0144)
Vinegar is not only an acidic condiment used throughout the world but is also an important brewed food with functional and health promoting value. Vinegar is widely consumed and has an indispensable position throughout Asia, especially in China. The raw materials for Chinese vinegar production are mainly cereals, and the traditional brewing processing is commonly adopted in Chinese vinegar production. Moreover, there are diverse types of vinegars produced at different regions of China. Each vinegar uses distinctive raw materials and brewing technology for vinegar production, developed through long-term practice and experience. With the continuous development of science, there is a massive amount of research on vinegar, exploring the brewing technologies and quality aspects, which are briefly summarized in this chapter. However, there are still difficulties regarding the Chinese vinegar brewing industry. This chapter presents an overview of the subject, including the raw materials, properties, quality characteristics, and production technologies, and aims to provide a better understanding of the vinegar production in China. Furthermore, four famous traditional vinegars in China are presented, and the new trends for the development of the Chinese vinegar industry are also highlighted.
