RESUMO
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.
RESUMO
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.
Assuntos
Acroleína , Glicerol , Glicerol/análise , Acroleína/análise , Bebidas Alcoólicas/análise , Bebidas/análise , Fermentação , Etanol/análiseRESUMO
Ethyl carbamate (EC) is a common substance in fermented foods and drinks, and its quantification is important because of its carcinogenic nature and its usually presence in alcoholic beverages. The present work involved the development and validation of an analytical method for the evaluation of EC in cachaça by HPLC-FLD after previous derivatization with xanthydrol. The method presented a mean recovery of 94.88%, an intra-day precision of 4.19% (30.0 µgL(-1)) and 3.32% (75.0 µgL(-1)), a coefficient of determination (r(2)) equal to 0.9985, and limits of detection and quantification equal to 6.39 and 21.32 µgL(-1), respectively. The results show that the analytical method is accurate, reproducible and linear over the concentration range from 5.0 to 160 µg of EC per litre. The method was applied to the analysis of EC in cachaça, the analyses being rapid and efficient.