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The capacity of alquitara (a traditional distillation system) to produce cider brandies is evaluated. To do so, the chemical composition of 12 fractions obtained during the distillation process and the cider brandies obtained from five ciders were analyzed (alcohol strength, methanol, volatile substances, furfural, and metals), taking into account European and Spanish legislation. During the course of distillation, an important increase in methanol, furfural, 2-phenylethanol, and metals in the last fractions was observed, while fusel oils were more abundant in the first fractions collected. Only acetaldehyde behaved differently, showing a minimum concentration in the middle fractions that might be explained by its formation on the surface of alquitara. On the other hand, the final distillates obtained by means of this method complied with the considered regulations. Worth highlighting in this regard are the low levels of a potential toxin such as methanol, as well as the detection of a constant ratio for methanol, ethanol, and fusel oil for the pairs of cider/spirits analyzed, which could be interpreted as an indication of good uniformity in the distillation system and method, thus guaranteeing product quality.

The effect of yeast strain and aging time on the chemical composition, analytical, and sensory foam properties of sparkling ciders has been studied. The analytical foam parameters (foamability, HM; Bikerman coefficient, sigma; and foam stability time, T(s)) were significantly influenced by aging and yeast strain. The sensory attributes (initial foam, foam area persistence, bubble size, foam collar, and overall foam quality) improved with aging time. Likewise, the yeast strain positively influenced the assessment of initial foam, foam area persistence, number of bubble chains, and overall foam quality. Significant and positive correlations were found between alcoholic proof, dry extract, total and volatile acidities, total phenols and total proteins, and sigma, whereas HM was negatively correlated with specific gravity, alcoholic proof, dry extract, and total proteins.

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