Abstract
Abstract The production of high quality spirits implies an aging period in wooden barrels, resulting in numerous physicochemical reactions between the wood and the beverage. Oak is the main wood used in the aging process of alcoholic beverages worldwide. However, in Brazil, the use of tropical wood species can be a viable option, allowing for innovation in the characteristics of spirits. This study aimed to determine the aromatic profiling of flavor active compounds in Brazilian sugarcane spirit (cachaça) after a 12-month aging period in new 225-L toasted and non-toasted barrels made from the tropical wood species cerejeira [Amburana cearensis (Fr. Allem.) A.C. Smith], castanheira (Bertholletia excelsa Humboldt & Bonpland), and cabreúva (Myrocarpus frondosus Allemão). The chemical characterization was carried out using the Gas-Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS) scan mode, and the identification targeted on flavor active compounds (esters, alcohols, organic acids, phenolic compounds, and terpenes). Toasted and non-toasted cerejeira barrels intensified the contents of phenolic compounds in cachaça. The samples aged in cerejeira barrels exhibited the most complex profile, mainly related to organic acids and phenolic compounds. However, cabreúva barrels transferred significant aromatic terpenes to cachaça. This research presented a novel focus on the aromatic profiling of flavor active compounds in cachaça aged in barrels made from tropical wood species.
Highlights
Cachaça is the exclusive denomination of the Brazilian spirit produced by distillation of fermented sugarcane juice, with 38-48% alcohol by volume (ABV) at 20 °C (Brasil, 2005)
The analyses showed that 60 aromatic compounds intensely contributed to the chemical profile of cachaça aged for 12 months in barrels made from Brazilian wood species (Table 1)
Sugarcane spirits aged in barrels made from different tropical wood species exhibited different volatile flavor active compound profiles
Summary
Cachaça is the exclusive denomination of the Brazilian spirit produced by distillation of fermented sugarcane juice, with 38-48% alcohol by volume (ABV) at 20 °C (Brasil, 2005). The process of production of cachaça has not yet been standardized in terms of sugarcane varieties, fermentation conditions, or distillation equipment. These variations may lead to the production of different flavor compounds during the fermentation and distillation processes and, affect the sensory profile of this beverage. Brazilian laws established four types of cachaça as following: white; aged; premium; and extrapremium. Premium cachaça is aged for one year and cannot be mixed. Extra-premium cachaça must be kept in barrels for at least three years (Brasil, 2005). The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply considers that, in addition to oak, the use of some tropical wood species is safe for manufacturing barrels with the purpose of aging cachaça (Brasil, 2016)
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