Felipe Cimino Duarte

Caracterização e quantificação de contaminantes em aguardentes de cana

The objective of the present study was the evaluation of the presence of organic and inorganic contaminants in samples of aged cachaca from the South of the state of Minas Gerais. Furfural, methanol and copper were determined by colorimetric reactions, while the analyses of ethyl carbamate and acrolein were performed by GC/MS and HPLC, respectively. High levels of furfural and copper were obtained. All samples showed concentrations below the established by legislation for the ethyl carbamate, and for acrolein, only one sample showed higher levels. Methanol was not detected in the samples.

Physicochemical and sensory changes in aged sugarcane spirit submitted to filtering with activated carbon filter

Sugarcane spirit is a drink considered as a national symbol of Brazil. It is produced by large producers and by about 30 thousand small and medium home-distilling producers dispersed throughout the country. The copper originating from the home-distillers can become a serious problem since at high concentrations in beverages it may cause serious human health problems. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the activated carbon used in commercial filters on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of aged sugarcane spirit. Analyses of copper, dry extract, alcoholic degree, higher alcohols, volatile acids, aldehydes, esters, furfural, and methanol were performed. The sensory evaluation was performed by seven selected trained judges, who analyzed the yellow color, woody aroma and flavor, and intensity of alcoholic aroma and flavor of the cane spirit before and after the filtration process. The sensory tests were carried out using a 9 cm non-structured intensity scale. A reduction was observed in all compounds analyzed physicochemically, except for the esters, which increased after filtration. This increase is probably due to the esterification of the alcohols and acids present. According to the sensory results obtained, a reduction was observed in the intensity of the yellow color, aroma, and wood flavor characteristics, the major characteristics of the aging process.

Removal of copper in cachaças using clays

Increased production and cachaca consumption has stimulated research regarding its quality. It is known that copper can be harmful to human health when it is in concentrated form in the beverage and is ingested in large amounts. Thus, there is a great concern among researchers and producers about the use of adsorbent substances for the removal of excess copper. The kinetic parameters and the adsorption isotherms for copper on kaolinite were studied to evaluate the physical-chemical quality of the cachaca before and after adsorption. K01, K03 and K04 kaolinites presented a maximum adsorption capacity of 97, 95 and 90%, respectively. The kinetic rates followed the pseudo-first-order model, and the adsorption isotherm was best adjusted to the Freundlich model. All the parameters of the control samples were within the limits required by law, except for the aldehydes and copper. After adsorption with clay, the values for some of the parameters were lower and those of others were not significantly different. It was possible to describe 87% of the data with the first and second principal components of the multivariate analysis, and all the samples were different from the control for the parameters analyzed. Thus, these clays can be used for the removal of copper from cachaca, but further studies are necessary.