Comparison and Quantification of the Development of Phenolic Compounds during the Aging of Cachaça in Oak (Quercus sp) and Amburana (Amburana cearensis) Barrels

Abstract

Aging is a stage of the cacha &ccedil a production process in which several chemical reactions occur between compounds extracted from the wood and other compounds present on the beverage. In an attempt to establish a profile regarding the chemical characterization of aged cacha &ccedil as, phenolic compounds have been studied because of the specific characteristics of each wood species and their known antioxidant properties. This work sought to assess and compare the development of 12 phenolic compounds in cacha &ccedil as aged in oak ( Quercus sp ) and amburana ( Amburana cearenses ) barrels during a period of 12 months. There was a progressive increase in the concentration of phenolic compounds in the beverage for both of the types of wood. The principal compounds encountered in the cacha &ccedil a aged in oak barrels were gallic acid, syringaldehyde and syringic acid, while vanillic acid, syringaldehyde, sinapic acid and gallic acid were isolated from that aged in amburana barrels.