Monitoring the content of ethyl carbamate and copper in organic and conventional cachaça

Abstract

Ethyl carbamate (EC) (NH 2 COOCH 2 CH 3) is found in cachaça, and its presence in the beverage is conspicuous for its toxicity. Copper, the metal of choice used in the construction of stills, is also considered a beverage contaminant and is often related to the presence of EC in beverages. The study aimed to monitor the quality of cachaça by measuring the presence of copper and EC, and comparing the influences of sugarcane cultivation systems on the concentration of these contaminants. The varieties, RB 867515, RB 962869 and RB 85553, were cultivated under the following management systems: planting without fertilization; organic planting; and conventional planting. For cultivation, a completely randomized design in a factorial scheme of 3 varieties × 3 managements was used as experimental planning, in 4 replications. The concentrations of copper and EC in beverages were evaluated and submitted to univariate analysis of variance (p ≤ 0.05). The organic and conventional systems presented no significant variations in copper content, both of which are recommended for the planting of sugarcane as raw material for cachaça. From amongst the varieties evaluated, RB966928 presented the lowest concentrations of copper for the organic and conventional systems, and was the most recommended for the production of cachaça. To evaluate the EC concentration (μg L-1) in the cachaças produced, all beverages were considered in accordance with national legislation. Significant differences were observed between them, but the conventional and organic systems are favored for deployment in the cultivation of sugarcane as the raw material of cachaça. The same applies to the RB966928, RB867515 and RB855453 varieties.

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

“…Copper is a metal used in the construction of stills that makes a positive contribution to the aroma and flavor of cachaça and has good thermal properties, however, it requires attention with maintenance in order not to leave residues in its distillates since in high concentrations it can have harmful activity for the organism and catalyzes reactions of formation of carcinogenic ethyl carbamate (Silva et al, 2020). The average concentration of this contaminant in the cachaças in this research was 3.8 mg/L, a value that despite meeting what is determined by the legislation is an obstacle to export since international quality standards of distilled beverages limit the copper content at most 2 mg/L (Santiago et al, 2015).…”

Total nitrogen content and its influence on ethyl carbamate incidence in cachaça

“…The Cu contents also remained below 5 mg L -1 , threshold of the Brazilian legislation (MAPA, 2005;MAPA, 2014b;Silva et al, 2020). These low concentrations derive from the processing with good hygiene practices in the production, even with the use of the Cu still in the distillation process and fractions separation in distillation (head, heart and tail) (Silva et al, 2020). The evaluation of the total N contents in the juice showed that the interaction between sugarcane varieties and management was not significant (p ≥ 0.05), indicating that the varieties do not depend on management (Table 2).…”

“…All spirits produced from these juices presented EC contents below 210 μg L -1 , threshold of the Brazilian legislation. The Cu contents also remained below 5 mg L -1 , threshold of the Brazilian legislation (MAPA, 2005;MAPA, 2014b;Silva et al, 2020). These low concentrations derive from the processing with good hygiene practices in the production, even with the use of the Cu still in the distillation process and fractions separation in distillation (head, heart and tail) (Silva et al, 2020).…”

“…The Cu content of the cachaças was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in a flame atomic absorption apparatus. The conditions for the analyses were determined according to MAPA (2005) and adapted by Silva et al (2020).…”

“…The EC in the cachaças was determined in a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer with the libraries NIST 11 and NIST 11s, equipped with a split/splitless automatic injector. The conditions for the analyses were performed according to MAPA (2014a) and adapted by Silva et al (2020).…”