ABSTRACT
Acrolein is a toxic aldehyde that can be present in various beverages, such as cachaça and other distilled spirits from sugarcane. The objective of this work was to detect and quantify acrolein in samples of cachaça produced by different processes in all regions of Brazil and to evaluate the possible routes of formation of this contaminant from the correlation with other secondary compounds present in the beverage using principal component analysis. Approximately 27.0% of the samples analyzed were outside the limit established by Brazilian legislation for this contaminant, with an average acrolein concentration of 14.01 mg 100 mL-1 anhydrous alcohol (aa). In the other samples, the average concentration was 0.97 mg 100 mL-1 aa. After selecting the variables that most closely correlated with the presence of acrolein in beverages, a positive correlation was found with the presence of butan-2-ol, propan-1-ol and volatile acids, and a slight correlation with the presence of phenolic compounds. Therefore, the presence of acrolein in cachaça can be associated with contamination of the fermentation must by bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus, as a result of the chemical degradation and enzymatic conversion of the glycerol produced during fermentation.
Subject(s)
Acrolein , Glycerol , Glycerol/analysis , Acrolein/analysis , Alcoholic Beverages/analysis , Beverages/analysis , Fermentation , Ethanol/analysisABSTRACT
The use of coconut fiber as a copper adsorbent in cachaça was optimised, and changes in the chemical quality of the beverage were observed by analytical techniques. The influence of the adsorbent mass and copper concentration parameters was investigated using the Central Composite Design, and the optimum condition was obtained through the use of Response Surface Methodology. The equilibrium of the adsorption reaction was obtained within 120 min. The kinetic data were better adjusted for the Elovich model (Elovich and Zhabrova 1939) and the isotherm data for the Sips model (Sips 1948). The maximum adsorption capacity was 1.38 mg g-1. Slight changes in the physicochemical quality of the beverage were observed, including a decrease in volatile acidity and alcohol content. Copper levels in cachaça decreased from 8.57 mg L-1 to 4.97 mg L-1 after adsorption. Therefore, the use of biomass as a metal ion adsorbent in beverages can be successfully employed.
Subject(s)
Copper , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Adsorption , Cocos , Copper/chemistry , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Kinetics , Thermodynamics , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysisABSTRACT
Apesar da utilização dos aditivos nos alimentos, alguns microrganismos, como o Clostridium botulinum ainda causam preocupação. Óleos essenciais são opções de aditivo para a indústria de alimentos, pois podem apresentar atividade antimicrobiana e antioxidante. Diante disso, o objetivo foi extrair o ó leo essencial de Lippia gracilis, caracterizar sua composição química por CG/ EM, avaliar a atividade antioxidante pela redução do radical DPPH e a concentração mínima esporicida (CME) sobreClostridium sporogenes. O óleo essencial é composto majoritariamente pelos monoterpenos carvacrol, p-cimeno e terpineno, e apresentou baixa capacidade de estabilização do radical DPPH, IC50 > 500 μg/ mL. Em relação à ação sobre os endósporos do Clostridium sporogenes, a concentração mínima esporicida foi 1,5% de óleo essencial.
