Abstract
In order to investigate the minor volatile compounds of traditional homemade fruit brandies from Romania (Transylvania region), as a result of their assortment and provenience, a number of 26 samples (18 plum brandies samples from 3 different counties, 4 samples of apple brandy and 4 samples of pear brandy) were analyzed using liquid-liquid extraction and gas-chromatography coupled with mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The GC-MS chromatograms of the hexane extracts led to the identification of 34 compounds (9 terpenes, 14 fatty acids esters, 3 free fatty acids, 4 carboxylic acid esters, 1 hydrocarbon, 1 aldehyde and 1 acetal). The most abundant compounds were the fatty acid esters. Chemometric analysis (Principal Component Analysis-PCA) was applied to discriminate the differences between the volatiles’ fingerprint. Considering the plum brandy samples, significant differences have been observed according to their provenience region. Based on relative abundance of determined compounds important differences among samples from different counties can be seen.. Ethyl hexadecanoate was the main factor for this discrimination. When compared the three types of fruit brandies, significant differences were noticed for their content in ethyl esters of hexanoic, benzoic and hexadecanoic acids. For some plum brandies, according to their fingerprint, possible adulteration with apple brandy can be noted, based on their similar volatiles’ pattern. The pear brandy was strongly delimitated by the other two types of brandies. The PCA data showed a good discrimination according to the region of provenience of the plum brandies in parallel with the composition specificity of the three analyzed fruit brandies.
Highlights
Some Central and East European countries are famous for their tradition in fruit brandies production, such as Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and at a lower extent Germany (Zwetschgenwasser), France (Kirsch d'Alsace), Luxemburg and Austria (Wachauer Marillenbrand) (Regulation (EC) No 110/2008; Satora and Tuszynski, 2008).The secrets of natural spirits or brandy manufacturing have been passed from generation to generation through practice and by word of mouth, kept very strictly to be shared with others in writing.Romania has a long tradition of manufacturing natural fruit brandies
Gas chromatography Volatile compounds were analyzed by gaschromatography coupled with mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) using a gas chromatograph TRACE GC ultra model (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Waltham, MA, USA) coupled with Polaris Q mass spectrometer
GC-MS Analysis of plum brandies By GC-MS analysis there were identified, in plum brandy samples, originating from CJ, MM and BN regions, around 34 volatiles, as presented in Tab. 2. Their successive is dependent on the retention time
Summary
The secrets of natural spirits or brandy manufacturing have been passed from generation to generation through practice and by word of mouth, kept very strictly to be shared with others in writing. Romania has a long tradition of manufacturing natural fruit brandies. In many regions the distillate becomes a real badge for them. The technologies of traditional drinks are not much different for each production area, the personality and the characteristics of products are due to the raw materials and the state of the mash distillation process. According to European regulation (Regulation (EC) No 110/2008) and Romanian legislation (Order No 368/2008), there are 14 different assortments of fruit spirits as Protected Geographical Indication products
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
