Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry characterization of musts and alembic Brazilian cachaças using selected yeast strains.

The choice of fermentation system during cachaça production can greatly influence the chemical composition of the beverage. In this work, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were selected based on fermentative properties and used as starters to produce alembic cachaça. In distillery scale production, the selected yeast strains exhibited greater adaptiblity to the fermentation environment and hence remained predominant throughout the process.

Contamination of cachaça by PAHs from storage containers.

Cachaça is a distiled beverage obtained from the fermentation of sugar cane syrup that, depending on the production procedures, may be susceptible to contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These compounds present carcinogenic and/or mutagenic properties and offer a risk to human health. Sixteen PAHs were determined in cachaças that had been stored in glass bottles and in polyethylene tank by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.