Analysis of free fatty acids in sake by an enzymatic method and its application for estimating ethyl caproate and selecting yeast with high productivity of the ester.

We show that the concentration of total free fatty acids (FFAs) in sake produced by yeast with high productivity of ethyl caproate could be approximated by the concentration of 2 FFAs, caproic and caprylic acids. Measurement of the total FFAs concentration by an enzymatic method proved useful for both estimating the ethyl caproate concentration in sake and also for yeast breeding.