Aging is a stage of the cachaça production process in which several chemical reactions occur between compounds extracted from the wood and other compounds present on the beverage. In an attempt to establish a profile regarding the chemical characterization of aged cachaças, phenolic compounds have been studied because of the specific characteristics of each wood species and their known antioxidant properties. This work sought to assess and compare the development of 12 phenolic compounds in cachaças aged in oak (Quercus sp) and amburana (Amburana cearenses) barrels during a period of 12 months. There was a progressive increase in the concentration of phenolic compounds in the beverage for both of the types of wood. The principal compounds encountered in the cachaça aged in oak barrels were gallic acid, syringaldehyde and syringic acid, while vanillic acid, syringaldehyde, sinapic acid and gallic acid were isolated from that aged in amburana barrels.

Popularly known by various names such as caninha, dangerous, drips, damned and many other denominations, cachaça is the genuine Brazilian drink, produced by the fermentation of sugarcane juice by yeast, followed by distillation in alambics. Considering that cachaça is the most widely consumed distilled beverage from Brazil, the knowledge of the chemical composition and the presence of potentially toxic compounds such as ethyl carbamate, considered a human carcinogen, is important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different conditions of the agro-industrial cachaça production systems, including the variety of sugarcane, on the quantification of ethyl carbamate through the chromatographic. Thirteen unaged beverage samples, produced from different varieties of sugarcane, were analysed. Using analysis of variance and comparison of average concentrations of ethyl carbamate (Scott-Knott, α = 5%), all of the samples were found to contain contaminant levels below the ceiling established by the legislation, which is 210 μg L À1.

Knowledge of the chemical composition of Mozambican spirits is extremely important because the studies of potentially toxic compounds have been a determinant factor in quality control. The objectives of this work were to analyze and physicochemically characterize distilled sugarcane spirits and other raw materials from Mozambique on the basis of the standards established by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA). The samples came from five provinces of southern and central Mozambique, provided by the owners of the stills in the localities of Manhiça, Xinavane, Chókwe, Massinga, Mafambisse, Beira and Chimoio. The four samples from Brazil were randomly collected from different regions of Minas Gerais. The parameters analyzed were ethanol, methanol, higher alcohols, aldehydes, volatile acidity, furfural, esters and copper concentrations. The Mozambican spirits produced from different raw materials, compared to Brazilian spirits, contained very variable concentrations of the components analyzed. Mozambican spirits are of much lower quality than Brazilian beverages and are not suitable for consumption.