Fuente: PubMed "wine" Front Nutr. 2026 Aug 5;13:1852893. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1852893. eCollection 2026.ABSTRACTQingke (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum Hook. f.), also known as highland barley, is a distinctive cereal primarily cultivated in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, garnering significant attention for its unique nutritional value and flavor characteristics. With growing demand for healthy foods, Qingke has expanded from a traditional staple into diverse modern product forms like beverages, alcoholic drinks, and condiments. Flavor, specifically aroma, is a critical factor determining consumer acceptability and market competitiveness. Beyond its nutritional value, Qingke possesses a unique and complex flavor profile that underpins its traditional and modern food applications. This review systematically summarizes the flavor features of Qingke and its primary traditional and modern product forms (e.g., Tsamba, Qingke wine, Qingke tea), and delves into the diversity and formation mechanisms of these aroma characteristics. It focuses on analyzing the impact of intrinsic factors (e.g., variety, genetics, environment) and extrinsic factors (e.g., thermal processing, fermentation) on the composition and content of volatile aroma compounds, revealing the pivotal role of aldehydes, alcohols, esters, and heterocyclic compounds (particularly pyrazines) in shaping the unique aroma of Qingke and its products. By comparing the aroma profiles of Qingke, common barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and other cereals, this review identifies Qingke's composite aroma characteristics, highlighting its unique notes of rice-like, wheaty, sweet, and milky aromas, which are often enhanced by roasted, nutty, fruity, and fermented notes from processing. This comprehensive review aims to establish a solid theoretical foundation for the further development, quality control, and innovative utilization of Qingke and its value-added products, with specific emphasis on future strategies for flavor improvement, standardization, and off-note reduction.PMID:42620516 | PMC:PMC13485881 | DOI:10.3389/fnut.2026.1852893