THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND SENSORY MODIFICATION OF SUGAR CANE SPIRITS DURING AGING IN OAK CASK (Quercus alba L.)

Abstract

Sugar cane spirits are of great interest because, besides the social and economical importance of this beverage very little information, specially that related to its maturation is available. Thus, studies about sugar cane spirit aging, are important parts of the effort to improve the quality of this typical Brazilian drink. In order to compare the physical chemical and sensory properties during maturation, sugar cane spirits samples, corresponding to zero, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months of aging in a 200 liter oak cask, and two commercial samples (aged and not aged) were analyzed. Total fixed and volatile acidity, alcoholic grade, copper levels and color intensity were determined. Acceptability tests for aroma, flavor, global impression and color were also worked over. The results showed that acidity levels and color intensity increased during aging while alcoholic grade and copper levels decreased. The acceptability increased (p£0,05) significantly for all attributes, confirming the effectiveness of aging to improve the sugar cane spirit quality.