Abstract
Cachaça is defined as sugarcane spirit produced in Brazil, but it still lacks references that valorize the aging in native woods. Amburana (Amburana cearensis) is a Brazilian tree widely used in making casks for storing cachaça. Among its phenolic derivatives, coumarin stands out. Its content is determinant in the sensorial characteristics developed in the beverage during the aging process. We propose a simple and rapid method (15 min) that allows the certification of the storage of cachaça in amburana barrels and the determination of the coumarin content. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, the identity of the wood is attested by the peculiarities of the chromatographic profile obtained with a UV detector (274 nm) in an isothermal environment (40 oC). Coumarin was easily identified among the peaks obtained, and it could be quantified using a standard curve.
Highlights
There are numerous phenolic derivatives (PD) in plants
Samples of cachaça stored for two years in 500-L amburana barrels were analyzed as they were made available by the producers
Considering that charring is traditionally used to “revitalize” the inner part of the barrel staves, we investigated the possibility that this procedure would lead to changes in the characteristic profile of the amburana extract
Summary
There are numerous phenolic derivatives (PD) in plants. The most abundant is lignin, a resinous macromolecule present in all parts of vegetables and corresponding to about 25% of the mass of the trunks and branches, to which it gives rigidity and resistance to mechanical and microbiological attacks. By giving color to flowers, for example, they act in the attraction of animals and insects, such as birds, butterflies and bees, which intervene in the pollination, process (Hoda et al, 2019, Grijalva et al, 2020). On the order of milligrams per liter or less, these compounds confer important peculiarities of color, flavor and aroma. It is an empirical practice, dating back millennia in human history. From the middle of the 20th century, it began to be characterized in the context of chemical transformations and physiological effects (Matos et al, 2015; Silva et al, 2020)
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