Valorization of Ligusticum chuanxiong hydrosol via Eurotium cristatum biotransformation: mechanistic insights into flavor remodeling and functional enhancement (opens in new tab)

Ligusticum chuanxiong hydrosol, a low-value distillation by-product, is usually discarded because of its offensive medicinal odor and pronounced bitterness. To overcome these sensory defects, this study employed Eurotium cristatum, a “golden flower” fungus renowned for flavor remodeling in traditional fermentation, to valorize this underexplored aqueous matrix. This represents the first systematic application of E. cristatum for hydrosol biotransformation. Under optimized conditions (39°C, pH...