Brazilian organic sugarcane spirits: Physicochemical and chromatographic profile

Abstract

There has been a growing demand for products from organic agriculture for the food market. Brazil leads the production of sugarcane spirits and produces about 1.6 billion liters/year. New technologies have been sought throughout the supply chain to improve production, and organic raw material has been used in the production of sugar cane for the production of beverages. This study aimed to define the physicochemical and chromatographic profiles of eleven organic sugarcane spirits samples from various Brazilian states. The secondary components and contaminants were identified and quantified through physicochemical analyses, HPLC and gas chromatography (GC). A significant percentage of the organic sugarcane spirits samples contained concentrations of components that were above the limits required by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Provisioning (MAPA), specifically the esters (18.20%), copper and dry extract (9.10%). This contamination is caused by bad conditions employed during the production process, which are not in compliance with the good manufacturing practices determined and legislated by Brazilian law. RESUMO-Ultimamente, no mercado de alimentos vem crescendo a demanda por produtos provenientes da agricultura orgânica. O Brasil lidera a produção de cachaça e produz cerca de 1,6 bilhões de litros/ano. Para a melhoria do produto, tem-se buscado novas tecnologias em toda a cadeia produtiva e utilizado matéria-prima orgânica na produção de cana-de-açúcar para a obtenção da bebida. O presente trabalho teve por objetivos traçar o perfil físico-químico e cromatográfico de onze amostras de cachaça orgânica provenientes de alguns estados brasileiros. Foram identificados e quantificados os componentes secundários e contaminantes por meio das análises físico-químicas, cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (CLAE) e análises cromatográficas em fase gasosa (CG). Pelos resultados encontrados observou-se um percentual significativo das cachaças orgânicas pesquisadas, onde estas apresentaram parâmetros fora dos limites exigidos pelo Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA), sendo encontrado valores inadequados de 18,20% para ésteres, 9,10% para cobre e extrato seco. Esta contaminação é acarretada pela má condução durante o processo pelos produtores, onde não estão observando as boas práticas de fabricação determinadas e/ou normatizadas pela legislação brasileira. Palavras-chave: Identificação. Quantificação. Compostos voláteis. Carbamato de etila.

Assessment of sensory and physical-chemical quality, and potential for certification of cachaças from the state of Paraíba, Brazil

“…Several studies of physical and chemical quality of cachaças from Minas Gerais (Fernandes et al, 2007;Santiago et al, 2015;Barcelos et al, 2007;Vilela et al, 2007), Rio Grande do Sul (Schmidt et al, 2009) and Paraná (Volpe et al, 2013) demonstrate that this is a common parameter in disagreement with the governamental. The cachaças from the states of Maranhão and Paraná had a percentage of non-compliance with legal regulations regarding the content of esters, much higher than in this research, being 15 and 18%, respectively limit (Mendes et al, 2016;Duarte et al, 2017). Research has shown that the value of esters in cachaças obtained by column distillers had more than twice the ester content of cachaças distilled in stills, but it is not influenced by the burning of the cane or the storage barrel (Masson et al, 2007;Volpe et al, 2013).…”

“…High values of this higher alcohol may be due to an incorrect separation of the distillate fractions (Schmidt et al, 2009). In research by Penteado & Masini (2009) on cachaças from the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, this parameter exceeded the limit in 12.1% of the samples while Duarte et al (2017) did not find any sample with concentration above the limit allowed in research with organic cachaças from the Paraná, Minas Gerais, Bahia and Ceará states. The content of esters in cachaça increases with the practice of aging in wooden barrels and is related to the sensory improvement of cachaça over time, however an excess of this constituent may indicate an incorrect separation of the fractions of the distillate and brings unwanted taste to the drink (Bortoletto et al, 2016;Duarte et al, 2017).…”

“…In research by Penteado & Masini (2009) on cachaças from the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, this parameter exceeded the limit in 12.1% of the samples while Duarte et al (2017) did not find any sample with concentration above the limit allowed in research with organic cachaças from the Paraná, Minas Gerais, Bahia and Ceará states. The content of esters in cachaça increases with the practice of aging in wooden barrels and is related to the sensory improvement of cachaça over time, however an excess of this constituent may indicate an incorrect separation of the fractions of the distillate and brings unwanted taste to the drink (Bortoletto et al, 2016;Duarte et al, 2017). Several studies of physical and chemical quality of cachaças from Minas Gerais (Fernandes et al, 2007;Santiago et al, 2015;Barcelos et al, 2007;Vilela et al, 2007), Rio Grande do Sul (Schmidt et al, 2009) and Paraná (Volpe et al, 2013) demonstrate that this is a common parameter in disagreement with the governamental.…”

“…Ethyl carbamate is mostly formed by the reaction of cyanogenic precursors with ethanol during fermentation and must be controlled by correct distillation (Duarte et al, 2017). The result of research by D' Ávila et al (2016) with samples of unaged sugarcane spirits distilled in pot stills from Minas Gerais found that all met the legal parameters, but Chreem et al (2015) researched the physical-chemical quality of 120 collegiate cachaças in Rio de January found that 47% exceeded the permitted value.…”

Investigação sobre cachaças brasileiras quanto a sua padronização e qualidade

“…Bortoletto and Alcarde (2015) determined the chemical composition of 268 Brazilian cachaças and observed that 50% of the samples not meeting the quality standards. Finally, Duarte, Cardoso, Santiago, Machado, & Nelson (2017) evaluated organic cachaças with respect to their physicochemical profile and found that only 26% did not meet the limits required by MAPA.…”