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 cachaça 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.