Physical-Chemical Profile and Quantification of Phenolic Compounds and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Cachaca Samples Aged in Oak (Quercus sp.) Barrels with Different Heat Treatments

The aging process is used to increase the value of cachaca and other beverages. During its contact with wood, reactions occur that are responsible for the extraction and formation of new compounds that give a different color and aroma to the beverage. Oak is the most widely used wood for aging; however, this is not a native wood in Brazil, and it is expensive. Oak barrels can go through a charring process during their production that facilitates the extraction of compounds by the beverage. The objective of this work was to determine the physicochemical profile, quantify the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and determine the phenolic composition of cachaca aged in oak barrels with different levels of charring (no charring, weak, medium, and intense charring). Four barrels were purchased from a cooperage, and samples of cachaca were stored for a period of 1 year. The physicochemical profile of the beverage was within the legal limits with the exception of the cask 3: medium charring (RY3), a sample for which the concentration of aldehydes was above the legal limit (30.41 mg 100 mL(-1) a.a.). The highest concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found in samples stored in barrels with medium and strong charring so the formation of these compounds is associated with the heat treatments. The concentration of phenolics in the beverage stored in barrels that suffered intense charring was not greater than that observed for cachaca stored in barrels that suffered medium charring.