RESUMEN
Accelerated maceration experiments of orange peels in Sherry vinegar employing ultrasounds (US) have been carried out. Their effect on the vinegars volatile composition as well as on its olfactometric and sensory characteristics have been evaluated. The optimal conditions for the ultrasounds were determined as follows: sonication power 550 W/L; pulses 40 s On and 20 s Off; with orange peel 200 g/L established previously. Statistical studies showed that maceration under ultrasounds increased volatile compounds content, since the vinegars obtained showed a high content in alcohols, aldehydes and terpenes. Regarding the olfactometric study, the control vinegar exhibited the lowest values for the "floral", "greasy" or "citric" categories and the highest value for the "sweet" category, whereas the US macerated vinegars presented the highest and lowest values for the "floral" and the "acid" categories, respectively. Based on their sensory evaluation, the panel members preferred the vinegar where orange peels had macerated under ultrasounds for 90 min. According to the results, ultrasound is a technology that could be employed to broaden the range of products manufactured by Sherry vinegar producers.