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.

O potencial bioativo dos fenólicos das madeiras tem sido cada vez mais enfatizado. Vários autores têm pesquisado as estruturas fenólicas transferidas para a cachaça armazenada em diversas madeiras nativas. No entanto, ainda não existem parâmetros químicos para monitoramento/padronização das etapas de maturação/envelhecimento da cachaça. Devido à falta de critérios e exigências legais, os rótulos da bebida quase sempre informam apenas o nome popular da madeira dos barris/tonéis. Nesse trabalho foram analisadas cachaças de oito estados brasileiros (PA, RN, PE, PB, BA, ES, MG e SP). As amostras foram agrupadas conforme a madeira informada e submetidas a para quantificação de nove compostos fenólicos previamente selecionados. Os resultados comprovaram a possibilidade de identificação de madeiras com base em similaridades cromatográficas e estruturas predominantes. No entanto, ocorreram discrepâncias acentuadas entre as cinco amostras armazenadas em “bálsamo”. No Brasil, esse nome (bálsamo) é aplicado popularmente a várias espécies nativas conforme a região geográfica. Assim sendo, recomenda-se a adoção do nome científico da madeira dos tonéis na rotulagem da bebida, como ponto de partida para regulamentação e avanços na certificação de origem e segurança para os consumidores.

There is a growing interest in chemical markers for the identification and certification of cachaça as a cane spirit produced in Brazil. It is known that the higher alcohols that are usually analyzed (propyl alcohol, Isobutyl alcohol and isoamyl alcohol) occur in all alcoholic beverages (fermented and distilled), but the relative proportions can vary markedly according to the peculiarities of the raw material and the production process. In this work, the contents of higher alcohols in 300 samples of alembic cachaça were compared, 220 from the state of Minas Gerais and 80 from other states, as well as three samples of industrial cachaça and 14 samples of whiskeys of various brands. The typical range of total higher alcohols in cachaça was 180-360 mg/100 mL ethanol. Cachaça containing higher alcohol concentrations greater than 360 mg/100 mL ethanol do not comply with Brazilian legislation. However, cachaças with higher alcohols concentrations below 180 mg/100 mL ethanol, as was found in one of the industrial cachaças, signify adulteration, for example, by mixing with fuel alcohol. The C4/C5 ratio varied less than the C3/C5 ratio, being consistently within the range of 0.20-0.50. In the whiskeys analyzed, the concentrations of higher alcohols were in the range of 160 and 270 mg/100 mL. Therefore, this parameter would not assist in differentiating between cachaça and whiskey. But the C4/C5 ratio was consistently different, being always greater than 0.50 for the whiskeys. Thus, the routine analysis of higher alcohols provides useful information both for tracking possible fraud and for assessments related to the identity or origin of cachaça.

O armazenamento em recipientes de madeira integra o processo de produção de bebidas destiladas, caracterizando a etapa de maturação ou envelhecimento. A cachaça – legalmente definida como bebida destilada da cana-de-açúcar produzida em território brasileiro - é armazenada  em barris de diversas madeiras nativas, assim como em barris de carvalho europeu e americano (Quercus). Dada a diversidade de madeiras empregadas, é importante dispor de parâmetros químicos que permitam atestar a identidade de cada madeira, cujos componentes extraídos são reconhecidamente bioativos. No entanto, a legislação brasileira define o envelhecimento tão somente mediante parâmetros físicos afetos à geometria dos recipientes e ao tempo de armazenamento. Nesse trabalho, analisando uísques e cachaças envelhecidas em carvalho, demonstra-se que, a despeito da diversidade de origens, a identidade do carvalho fica bem caracterizada nos perfis cromatográficos, com predominância consistente dos ácidos elágico e gálico e do siringaldeído. Conclui-se que é possível atestar o emprego do carvalho no envelhecimento de bebidas destiladas, independente da diversidade de tratamentos a que a madeira possa ter sido submetida. E aponta-se a possibilidade/relevância de se estender a metodologia (HPLC-UV) para fins de caracterização das madeiras brasileiras nativas empregadas no envelhecimento da cachaça. Trata-se de um avanço importante para fins de certificação da identidade da cachaça e valorização da flora nativa brasileira.

ABSTRACT The advancement in the technology of cachaça ─ sugarcane spirit produced in the Brazilian territory ─ has led to the search for parameters that allow the improvement of its chemical characterization and sensory specificities. Esters are important aroma agents, but their routine monitoring, as endorsed in Brazilian legislation, is restricted to the quantification of ethyl acetate, which is formed through the metabolism of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). However, being produced in a rural environment using fresh cane juice, fermentation of “cachaça de alembic” involves the presence and activity of lactic acid-producing bacteria, making the presence of ethyl lactate among the cachaça esters predictable. In this work, the levels of ethyl lactate and ethyl acetate were compared in 247 samples, corresponding to 56 brands produced in eleven Brazilian states. Ethyl lactate was found in levels that significantly alter the result of the quantitative participation of esters in the composition of cachaça. This fact is especially relevant considering that lactic acid bacteria are GRAS and widely recognized as a resource for improving the sensory quality of wines and other alcoholic beverages. Thus, studies on the contribution of lactic acid bacteria to the sensory quality of cachaça should be encouraged. Ethyl lactate, in addition to signaling a chemical specificity naturally occurring in cachaça, is a marker of other possible chemical and sensory peculiarities whose research should be stimulated.