A state-of-the-art review of the chemical composition of sugarcane spirits and current advances in quality control

Abstract

Sugarcane spirits (cachaça) is one of the most traditional drinks in Brazil, being the third most consumed distilled beverage in the world. Chemically, a sugarcane spirit is considered a complex product and, among the production steps, the type of distillation directly influences the chemical composition and sensory characteristics of the product. However, some substances considered undesirable may be present in sugarcane spirits which can pose a risk to human health or decrease the sensory quality of the drink. Sugarcane spirit producers face major challenges, mainly related to the adoption of good production practices, which reflect the loss of quality and lack of standardization of the drink. The use of different instrumental analytical techniques used to identify and quantify the chemical compounds in sugarcane spirit was discussed in this study. Modern chemometric and artificial intelligence tools for data processing were reported, as well as the use of computer vision as a promising strategy in the identification of fraud, adulteration and non-compliance with legislation. Innovative methods are a trend in determining the quality of beverages, considering that most of them are characterized by being simple, fast, relatively low cost, efficient and environmentally correct.