A state-of-the-art review of the chemical composition of sugarcane spirits and current advances in quality control

Kinetic determination of ethyl carbamate in sugarcane spirits exploiting digital videos

Kinetic methods are useful analytical methods, whose widespread application is often hindered by the need for strict time control. In this study, digital videos obtained using a smartphone camera were exploited for the first time for a kinetic enzymatic method. The inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase activity on the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine to thiocholine was exploited for ethyl carbamate determination. This toxic and potentially carcinogenic contaminant must be controlled in beverages with a threshold limit of 210 μg L-1 for sugarcane spirits. Ethyl carbamate binds to the active site of acetylcholinesterase in an alkaline medium (pH 8), thus diminishing the hydrolysis rate. Digital videos were recorded for 25 min, and analytical information (channel B, RGB color system) was extracted from frames taken every 10 s. The time required to achieve a reaction plateau, which is proportional to the analyte concentration, was used as the analytical parameter. Under the optimized conditions a linear response was observed for ethyl carbamate concentrations from 50 to 500 μg L-1 (r2 > 0.99) with a limit of detection of 15 μg L-1 and a coefficient of variation of 3.2 % (n = 10). The proposed kinetic method is a cost-effective alternative for the determination of ethyl carbamate in sugarcane spirits, which compares favorably with other methods reported in the literature with regard to detectability and greenness (AGREE score of 0.77), while yielding results in agreement with the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry reference method.

Path-ComDim multi-block data analysis in the cachaça investigation: Integrating sensory analysis with electronic and vibrational spectroscopies

Cachaça consumption is valued for its unique characteristics, many of which stem from aging in various wooden barrels, imparting specific flavors and aromas. However, whether unaged cachaças with artificial flavoring exhibit attributes similar to those of naturally aged cachaças remains unclear. This study examined sensory and chemical aspects of both aged and flavored cachaças through an integrated approach combining sensory analysis with ultraviolet, visible, mid-infrared, and near-infrared spectroscopies. In the chemometric domain, Path-ComDim was employed to integrate and interpret multi-source data, revealing sensory-spectral correlations to characterize cachaça samples derived from aging and flavoring processes. Although the production regions of the cachaças were known beforehand, this factor did not distinguish them. Overall, the findings indicate that flavored and aged cachaças may share sensory similarities because some flavored cachaças can exhibit sensory attributes similar to those aged in Oak, Bálsamo, and Umburana woods.

Non-destructive authentication of Cachaças from Brejo Paraibano based on MIR spectroscopy

Cachaça, an alcoholic beverage derived from the fermentation of sugarcane juice, is a quintessential Brazilian product, with the Brejo Paraibano region standing out as one of the leading producers of high-quality cachaças. Therefore, geographic authentication of these beverages is essential to guarantee their quality and prevent fraud. This study employed mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR) combined with chemometric models, including One-Class Partial Least Squares (OC-PLS) and Data-Driven Soft Independent Modeling by Class Analogy (DD-SIMCA), to authenticate the geographic origin of cachaças from Brejo Paraibano, as opposed to cachaças originating from other Brazilian regions. The DD-SIMCA model, incorporating spectral preprocessing with baseline shift correction and Savitzky-Golay smoothing using 21 points, achieved 95.6 % sensitivity during training, 100 % in testing, and 100 % specificity, with an overall classification efficiency of 98.4 %. These findings underscore the effectiveness of the proposed approach as a robust, green, and reliable tool to verify the authenticity and geographic origin of cachaças.

Accelerated aging of Brazilian sugarcane spirit: Impact of wood chips reuse on the phenolic and volatile profile of the beverage

The study investigated the impact of reusing wood chips in the maturation of sugarcane spirits on the chemical profile (non-volatile and volatile) of the bevarage. Chips of oak (Quercus sp.), amburana (Amburana cearensis), and chestnut (Bertholletia excelsa) were used in two maturation cycles. The first use of the chips resulted in greater extraction of phenolic and volatile compounds (especially esters and terpenes), increasing color intensity and antioxidant activity, promoting more complex beverages. Oak stood out for its higher phenolic content and greater antioxidant activity, while amburana and chestnut had different phenolic profiles. Compounds such as vanillin, vanillic acid and procyanidin-B2 were confirmed as markers of the woods studied. Reusing the chips reduced the concentration of antioxidant compounds, although it maintained the legal quality standards. Thus, the use of woodchips is a promising technique for adding aging markers in a short time, although their reuse is a limited practice.

A Chemometric Exploration of Potential Chemical Markers and an Assessment of Associated Risks in Relation to the Botanical Source of Fruit Spirits

Chemometric evaluation of potentially harmful volatile compound and toxic metal(loid) distribution patterns in fruit spirits relating to distinct fruit classes most commonly used in spirit production highlighted the potential of several volatiles as candidates for differentiation markers while dismissing toxic metal(loid)s. Pome fruit and grape pomace spirits were mostly characterized by a lower abundance of n-propanol, methanol, ethyl acetate and acetaldehyde, while stone fruit spirits contained lower amounts of isoamyl alcohol and isobutanol. Chemometric analysis of the fruit spirit composition of aromatics identified additional potential markers characteristic for certain fruits-benzoic acid ethyl ester, benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, butanoic acid 3-methyl-ethyl ester, butanoic acid 2-methyl-ethyl ester and furfural. This study explored the variability in the risk potential of the investigated spirits, considering that some chemicals known to be detected in spirits are potent health hazards. Ethyl carbamate in combination with acetaldehyde showed a higher potential risk in stone fruit spirits, methanol in stone and pome fruit spirits and acetaldehyde in grape pomace spirits. It is of great interest to evaluate to what extent consumers' preference for spirits of distinct fruit types affects health risks. Consumers of stone fruit spirits are potentially at higher risk than those consuming pome fruit or grape pomace spirits.

An Overview of Spirits Made from Sugarcane Juice

Among the family of sugarcane spirits, those made from juice are diverse and often produced in a traditional way. They must be distinguished from other sugarcane spirits, which are more widely produced and made from other sugarcane derivatives, such as molasses. These alcoholic beverages contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of many countries. However, despite ancestral know-how, there is a lack of contemporary data required to characterize some sugarcane juice spirits (SCJSs) and to overcome the current and future threats that producers will have to face. While preserving their authenticity and specificity, SCJS producers expect to improve and ensure sufficient yield and a superior quality product. Even if the scientific knowledge on these spirits is not comparable, the available data could help identify the critical points to be improved in the making process. This review aims to present the main SCJSs encountered worldwide, defining their specific features through some important aspects with, notably, references to the complex notion of terroir. To continue, we discuss the main steps of the SCJS process from harvesting to aging. Finally, we expose an inventory of SCJS's chemical compositions and of their sensory description that define the specific organoleptic properties of these spirits.

The Spirit of Cachaça Production: An Umbrella Review of Processes, Flavour, Contaminants and Quality Improvement

This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the production, classification, and quality control of cachaça, a traditional Brazilian sugarcane spirit with significant cultural importance. It explores the fermentation and distillation of sugarcane juice, the ageing process in wooden containers, and the regulatory aspects of cachaça labelling. It emphasises the role of quality control in maintaining the spirit's integrity, focusing on monitoring copper levels in distillation stills. Ethyl carbamate (EC), a potential carcinogen found in cachaça, is investigated, with the study illuminating factors influencing its formation and prevalence and the importance of its vigilant monitoring for ensuring safety and quality. It also underscores the control of multiple parameters in producing high-quality cachaça, including raw material selection, yeast strains, acidity, and contaminants. Further, the impact of ageing, wood cask type, and yeast strains on cachaça quality is examined, along with potential uses of vinasse, a cachaça by-product, in yeast cell biomass production and fertigation. A deeper understanding of the (bio)chemical and microbiological reactions involved in cachaça production is essential to facilitate quality control and standardisation of sensory descriptors, promoting global acceptance of cachaça. Continued research will address safety concerns, improve quality, and support the long-term sustainability and success of the cachaça industry.

A green method for the authentication of sugarcane spirit and prediction of density and alcohol content based on near infrared spectroscopy and chemometric tools

Cachaça is a Brazilian beverage obtained from the fermentation of sugarcane juice (sugarcane spirit) and is considered one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world with a strong economic impact on the northeastern Brazil, more specifically in the Brejo. This microregion produces sugarcane spirits with high quality associated to edaphoclimatic conditions. In this sense, analysis for sample authentication and quality control that uses solvent-free, environmentally friendly, rapid and non-destructive methods is advantageous for cachaça producers and production chain. Thus, in this work commercial cachaça samples using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) were classified based on geographical origin using one-class classification Data-Driven in Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (DD-SIMCA) and One-Class Partial Least Squares (OCPLS) and predicted quality parameters of alcohol content and density based on different chemometric algorithms. A total of 150 sugarcane spirits samples were purchased from the Brazilian retail market being 100 from Brejo and 50 from other regions of Brazil. The one-class chemometric classification model was obtained with DD-SIMCA using the Savitzky-Golay derivative with first derivative, 9-point window and 1st degree polynomial as preprocessing algorithm and sensibility was 96.70 % and specificity 100 % in the spectral range 7,290-11,726 cm^-1. Satisfactory results were obtained in the model constructs for density and the chemometric model, iSPA-PLS algorithm with baseline offset as preprocessing, obtained root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.0011 mg/L and Relative Error of Prediction (REP) of 0.12 %. The chemometric model for alcohol content prediction used the iSPA-PLS algorithm with Savitzky-Golay derivative with first derivative, 9-point window and 1st degree polynomial as algorithm as preprocessing obtaining RMSEP and REP of 0.69 and 1.81 % (v/v), respectively. Both models used the spectral range from 7,290-11,726 cm^-1. The results reflected the potential of vibrational spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics to build reliable models for identifying the geographical origin of cachaça samples for predicting quality parameters in cachaça samples.

Correlation of the presence of acrolein with higher alcohols, glycerol, and acidity in cachaças

Acrolein is a toxic aldehyde that can be present in various beverages, such as cachaça and other distilled spirits from sugarcane. The objective of this work was to detect and quantify acrolein in samples of cachaça produced by different processes in all regions of Brazil and to evaluate the possible routes of formation of this contaminant from the correlation with other secondary compounds present in the beverage using principal component analysis. Approximately 27.0% of the samples analyzed were outside the limit established by Brazilian legislation for this contaminant, with an average acrolein concentration of 14.01 mg 100 mL^-1 anhydrous alcohol (aa). In the other samples, the average concentration was 0.97 mg 100 mL^-1 aa. After selecting the variables that most closely correlated with the presence of acrolein in beverages, a positive correlation was found with the presence of butan-2-ol, propan-1-ol and volatile acids, and a slight correlation with the presence of phenolic compounds. Therefore, the presence of acrolein in cachaça can be associated with contamination of the fermentation must by bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus, as a result of the chemical degradation and enzymatic conversion of the glycerol produced during fermentation.

Shedding Light on Metals Release from Chestnut Wood to Wine Spirit Using ICP-MS

Possible effects caused by mineral elements during wine spirit ageing are diverse. In this study, the evolution of the mineral composition of wine spirit during ageing with chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) wood was investigated. A wine distillate was aged in 250 L wooden barrels (traditional ageing) and in 50 L glass demijohns with wood staves and micro-oxygenation (alternative ageing). Sampling was performed after 21, 60, 180, 270, and 365 days of ageing. The elemental composition of the wine spirits, including alkaline, alkaline earth metals, and heavy metals, was assessed by quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS). For most of the elements, no significant differences between wine spirits from distinct ageing modalities were observed. Ageing time had significant effect on most of them, with different trends and distinct magnitude of changes, depending on each specific element. The concentrations of the mineral elements found in the wine spirits were very low, especially those of heavy metals, which is quite positive in terms of quality and food safety. Novel information on metals released from chestnut wood to wine spirits confirms its appropriateness for ageing this beverage.