Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of alcoholic strength by volume (ASV) and storage conditions on turbidity in plum brandies. Different types of filter sheet were also tested for their effects on turbidity, as well as on the chemical composition and organoleptic characteristics of the distillates. The raw materials used were two plum distillates with initial ASVs of 76.77% v/v and 81.92% v/v. The distillates were diluted to alcohol contents of 37.5%, 40% and 50% v/v and stored under various conditions for 64 days. Filtration was performed using two depth filter sheets, with nominal retention rates of 0.40–0.48 μm and 0.80 μm, or with an activated carbon-based filter sheet. The lowest turbidity was observed in samples stored at ambient temperature with an ASV of 50% v/v. Reducing the alcohol content and storage temperature caused turbidity to increase. Samples prepared from distillate with an initial alcohol content of 76.77% v/v were characterized by significantly higher turbidity than those produced from spirit with an initial ASV of 81.92% v/v. Lowering the storage temperature resulted in a larger decrease in the concentration of volatile compounds after filtration. Use of an activated carbon filter sheet caused the greatest decrease in the majority of volatiles. Use of a filter sheet with a nominal retention rate of 0.80 μm led to the greatest improvement in the organoleptics of the tested plum distillates.
Highlights
Fruit distillates produced by alcoholic fermentation of fleshy fruits or their musts are of interest as spirit beverages, due to their rich flavours and aromas
The distillates were obtained using a one-column continuous apparatus and showed initial alcoholic strength by volume (ASV) of 76.77% v/v and 81.92% v/v, respectively. These ASVs met the requirements for concentrations of ethanol in fruit spirits, as set out in Regulation (EC) no. 110 of the European Parliament and the Council (2008), which states that the ASV of fruit spirits should be less than 86% v/v
The results summarized here show that storage temperature is a factor determining turbidity formation in plum distillates, especially in solutions with an ASV below 40% v/v
Summary
Fruit distillates produced by alcoholic fermentation of fleshy fruits or their musts are of interest as spirit beverages, due to their rich flavours and aromas. Such beverages are made from raw spirits, which are not purified by rectification but aged in wooden barrels, where their qualities are allowed to develop naturally through certain chemical reactions (Regulation (EC) no. The fatty acid esters behave as surfactants, because, as well as a hydrophilic group, they have long hydrophobic carbon chains that prevent them from mixing with water. Under non-mixing conditions, these fatty esters behave as micelles—spherical clumps of lipid molecules in which the hydrophobic carbon tail points toward the center, away from the water. Given the role that fatty acid esters play in causing cloudiness, it is important to consider ways in which their quantities can be reduced (Carrillo and Cristobal 2015)
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