Determination of phenolic compounds and coumarins in sugar cane spirit aged in different species of wood

The identities and quantities of the phenolic compounds and coumarins in twelve samples of sugar cane spirit aged in Quercus sp., Amburana cearensis, Cariniana legalis, Castanea sativa Mill, Ocotea sp., Cotyledon orbiculata L., and Hymenaea sp. casks were determined. These compounds have a direct influence on the sensory characteristics of aged beverages; some of them are considered to be markers for the aging process. The analysis of phenolic compounds was performed by HPLC. Solid phase extraction (SPE) was also used for the determination of coumarins. The concentrations of the principal compounds extracted varied according to the species of wood. The concentrations of total phenolic compounds ranged from 0.08 for a sample stored in a 4000-L jatobá barrel for a period of six months to 40.9 mg · L−1 for a sample aged in a 50000-L oak barrel for a period of 48 months. The use of the SPE technique removed interfering compounds from the samples, thereby improving the detection of coumarin.

Potencial da espectroscopia no infravermelho próximo para distinção de carvão de madeira de Eucalyptus e nativa

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) associated with multivariate statistics to distinguish coal produced from wood of planted and native forests. Timber forest species from the C errado (Cedrela sp., Aspidosperma sp., Jacaranda sp. and unknown species) and Eucalyptus clones from forestry companies (Vallourec and Cenibra) were carbonized in the final temperatures of 300, 500 and 700°C. In each heat treatment were carbonized 15 specimens of each vegetal material totaling 270 samples (3 treatments x 15 reps x 6 materials) produced in 18 carbonization (3 treatments x 6 materials). The acquisition of the spectra of coals in the near infrared using a spectrometer was performed. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLS-R) were carried out in the spectra. NIR Spectroscopy associated with PCA was not able to differentiate charcoals produced from native and planted woods when utilizing all carbonized samples at different temperatures in the same analysis; The PCA of all charcoals was able to distinguish the samples depending on temperature in which they were carbonized. However, the separation of native and planted charcoal was possible when the samples were analyzed separately by final temperature. The prediction of native or planted classes by PLS-R presented better performance for samples carbonized at 300°C followed by those at 500°C, 700°C and for all together.