Abstract
The aging process, although not mandatory in the production of cachaça, adds sensory complexity to the beverage. During the aging process, several physicochemical reactions occur between the wood and the distillate, such as hydrolysis, oxidation, polymerization, and esterification. The phenolic compounds related to maturation, extracted from the wood, directly interfere in the chemical and sensory composition of the distillate. However, knowledge of wood composition is not enough to determine the sensory profile of cachaça, since this also depends on numerous factors such as the origin of the wood, wood species, barrel manufacturing, number of times the barrel was used, aging time, and composition of the beverage. This research explores, quantitatively and qualitatively, the influence of these factors on the extraction of phenolic compounds derived from lignin in cachaça aged up to 144 months in oak barrels of different origins using high-performance liquid chromatography. The content of phenolic compounds increased at an accelerated rate in the first years of aging. Nonetheless, the wood species and the number of times the barrels were used exhibited great influence on the evolution of aging, regardless of the aging time. Regarding the extraction of maturation indicators, each year of aging in new barrels corresponded to approximately 5 years of aging in extensively used barrels.
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ARA conceived the idea and the design of the work. MCC, LSC and ARA carried out the experimental trials. MSMSFA performed the analysis. GCS carried out data analysis and interpretation. ARA and MCC drafted the article. ARA critically revised the article.
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Castro, M.C., Silvello, G.C., Corniani, L.S. et al. Maturation-related phenolic compounds in cachaça aged in oak barrels: influence of reuses. Wood Sci Technol 57, 781–795 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-023-01474-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-023-01474-6