Charentaise distillation of cognac. Part I: Behavior of aroma compounds.

The Charentaise distillation plays an essential role in designing cognac aroma by extracting and selectively concentrating aroma compounds from the wine along with ethanol, in addition to promoting compound formation or degradation through different chemical reactions. This traditional mode of distillation still relies heavily on empirical knowledge and the impact of its different parameters on the composition of cognac is not fully elucidated. In this context, this study aimed to broaden the current knowledge on the behavior of aroma compounds throughout the two steps of the Charentaise distillation and to investigate the formation of aroma compounds during the operation, an aspect which is seldom considered.

Charentaise distillation of cognac. Part II: Process simulation and impact of recycling practices on the aroma composition of freshly distilled spirit.

A growing number of studies over the years has successfully employed computer simulation tools to understand, optimize and design spirit distillations. Amongst distilled spirits, cognac is a reputed wine spirit resulting from a double batch distillation process known as Charentaise distillation. This complex operation comprises the wine distillation (WD) and the brouillis distillation (BD), which are carried out in copper alembics.

Adhesion of Bread Dough to Solid Surfaces Under Controlled Heating: Balance Between the Rheological and Interfacial Properties of Dough.

The adhesion of wheat dough affects many aspects of industrial baking, from kneading raw dough to the final baking process. In this work, an original method was developed to study the effect of temperature on the adhesive properties of bread dough in contact with a solid surface during heating. Using this approach, it will be possible to understand the factors that affect adhesion between dough and a baking surface, which will aid in developing methods to prevent dough from sticking.

Evolution of Volatile Compounds during the Distillation of Cognac Spirit.

Cognac wine spirit has a complex composition in volatile compounds which contributes to its organoleptic profile. This work focused on the batch distillation process and, in particular, on volatile compounds specifically produced by chemical reactions during the distillation of Cognac wine spirit, traditionally conducted in two steps with charentais pot stills. The aim of this study was to characterize these volatile compounds formed during distillation.

Furan quantification in bread crust: development of a simple and sensitive method using headspace-trap GC-MS.

To study reactivity in bread crust during the baking process in the pan, we followed furan mainly resulting from Maillard and caramelisation reactions in cereal products. Furan quantification is commonly performed with automatic HS-static GC-MS. However, we showed that the automatic HS-trap GC-MS method can improve the sensitivity of the furan quantification.

Lipid oxidation in baked products: impact of formula and process on the generation of volatile compounds.

This paper investigates the effect of ingredients on the reactions occurring during the making of sponge cake and leading to the generation of volatile compounds related to flavour quality. To obtain systems sensitive to lipid oxidation (LO), a formulation design was applied varying the composition of fatty matter and eggs. Oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and formation of related volatile compounds were followed at the different steps of cake-making.

Use of inverse gas chromatography to determine thermodynamic parameters of aroma-starch interactions.

Interactions between aroma compounds (d-limonene, ethyl hexanoate, octanal and 1-hexanol) and high amylose cornstarch were studied using inverse gas chromatography. Free energies of adsorption (deltaGa) and enthalpies of adsorption (deltaHa) of aroma compounds on starch were measured in the temperature range of 33-40 degrees C. The results showed existence of interactions between aroma compounds and starch, involving hydrogen bounds and dipole-dipole interactions.