Chemical characteristics of Śliwowica Łącka and other plum brandies

BACKGROUND: ?liwowica ??cka is a strong, distilled, home‐made plum brandy produced in a submontane region of Poland. The aim of the present study was to determine the chemical composition of this alcoholic beverage (samples from the years 2001–2004) and compare it with that of other plum brandies. Gas chromatography and spectrophotometry methods were used to detect major volatile components. RESULTS: Home‐made Polish plum brandies generally contained more ethanol (64.7–72.5% v/v), methanol (5.59–8.74 g L^?1100°) and butanol (32–335 mg L^?1100°) and less isobutanol (406–491 mg L^?1100°), pentanol (4.3–14.9 mg L^?1100°) and 2‐phenylethanol (61–68 mg L^?1100°) than other samples. The amyl alcohols/1‐propanol and isobutanol/1‐propanol ratios might be used as indices to distinguish spontaneously fermented plum brandies from those produced by monoculture. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) were found in the plum brandy sensory characteristics examined. Total sensory scores of Polish plum brandies ranged between 12.0 and 14.3, while Slovakian Slivovica received the highest score (16.7). CONCLUSION: The results showed that plum brandies produced in the ??cko area are characterised by a similar and original chemical composition that results mainly from spontaneous fermentation as well as traditional production technology. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Profile of Volatile Compounds in 11 Brandies by Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Followed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

ABSTRACT:  A headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied for the qualitative or semiquantitative characterization of brandy volatiles. SPME variables (SPME fiber, extraction temperature and time, and ethanol concentration) were optimized. A total of 144 compounds were from the brandies' volatiles, tentatively identified or identified by comparing mass spectra and retention indices of the standards or from literature. Of these, 57 are common to 11 brandies. They were mainly represented by esters and alcohols, such as 2-methyl propanol, 3-methyl butanol, 1-hexanol, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate, which were quantitatively determined. Chromatographic peaks were integrated using selective ion method (SIM) and the semiquantitative data analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) to study relationships between volatile composition and brandy. Eleven brandies were differentiated into 3 groups: 1 for Hennessy VSOP and XO samples, 1 for Changyu PEGASE VSOP and XO-1, 2, 3 samples, and the other for Changyu PEGASE brandy and VO, Taro brandy, Baiyang River brandy, and Wealth XO samples. The classification of groups is consistent with the brandy samples by variety and grade.     

Classification of distilled alcoholic beverages and verification of adulteration by near infrared spectrometry

Near-infrared (NIR) spectrometry and chemometric methods of classification were used to classify and verify adulteration of 69 samples of alcoholic beverages (whiskey, brandy, rum and vodka). The characterization of the drinks was accomplished by chemometric models based on principal component analysis and soft independent modelling of class analogy elaborated for each different group. Alcoholic beverages adulterated with 5% and 10% (v/v) of water, ethanol or methanol were analyzed and used to verify the models capacity of prediction. Besides, actual samples with suspicions of adulteration were analyzed by gas chromatography and used to test the chemometric models which were able to predict the adulteration in the actual samples. The proposed method was successfully applied in the verification of alcoholic beverages adulteration with 100% of correct prediction at 95% of confidence level. The absence of reagents, low sample consumption, high sampling throughput and good predictive ability enables the developed methodology to be applied as a screening analysis to verify adulteration of the alcoholic beverage, that is, a prior step used to condition the sample to a deeper analysis only when a positive result for adulteration is obtained by the proposed method.     

ORAC and TEAC assays comparison to measure the antioxidant capacity of food products

Oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays were compared to estimate the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of orange juice, milk, and an orange juice-milk beverage. When the TEAC method was used with this beverage, an increase in the concentration of orange juice corresponded to an increase in TAC, but increasing the percentage of milk did not increase the TAC value. When the ORAC method was applied, it was seen that increased concentrations of juice or milk corresponded to greater antioxidant capacity. An evaluation was also made of the influence of certain compounds (ascorbic acid, gallic acid, β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and albumin) with antioxidant capacity that were present in the samples studied.     

Gas-chromatographic determination of volatile constituents in Yugoslav plum brandies

Gas-chromatographic analysis, extraction and titration methods were used to determine the volatile components of 17 home-made natural plum brandy samples as well as 14 samples of industrially-produced plum brandy. The plum used for the production of Yugoslav plum brandies is Prunus domestica L. Eighteen alcohols, 23 esters and 21 organic acids were determined qualitatively and quantitatively. Eight aldehydes and nine ketones were only qualitatively determined. Apart from other components, the plum brandies analysed contained approximately 0.30 to 4.39 g of methanol/1; 0.40 g of 1-propanol/1; 0.19 g of 2-methyl-1-propanol/1; 0.05 g of 1-butanol/1; 0.10 g of 2-methyl-1-butanol/1; and 0.28 g of 3-methyl-1-butanol/1. The plum brandies also contained approximately 0.50 g of ethyl acetate/1 and about 0.03 g of acetaldehyde/1. The concentration of the free carboxylic acids present was about 1.50 g/1. Acetic acid constituted about 90% v/v of the total acid concentration.     

Analysis of brandy aroma by solid‐phase microextraction and liquid–liquid extraction

Headspace solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) and continuous liquid–liquid extraction (LLX) with Freon were used to extract and analyse aroma volatiles in brandy. In general, SPME using a non‐polar polydimethylsiloxane coating was more selective for esters and acids than was LLX. LLX using Freon 11 extracted the higher alcohols more efficiently than SPME. Relative differences in volatiles between brandies made from Vitis vinifera L cv Colombard and Vitis vinifera L cv Ugni blanc were observed, particularly for hexanol, 3‐methylbutylacetate, 3‐methylbutanol and 3‐methylbutyloctanoate. In addition, a combination of SPME with GC–olfactometry was used to provide more detailed information on sensory characteristics of varietal brandies. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Phytochemical properties and antioxidant capacities of commercial raspberry varieties

The antioxidant capacities of 15 commercial raspberry varieties grown in North China were evaluated and their anthocyanin profiles determined by LC–ESI-MS. Total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total anthocyanin content (TAC) and antioxidant capacities (AOC) of the 15 raspberries were measured, respectively and the results showed that the TPC, TFC and TAC contents of raspberries correlated well with their antioxidant capacities. Raspberries with higher contents of phytochemicals showed higher antioxidant capacity. The results indicated that the 15 raspberry varieties may be divided into three groups according to their anthocyanin component analysis. The first group was made up of Triple Crown, Shawnee, and Navaho varieties with identical anthocyanin profiles and dark red color. The second group included Canby, Bristol and Mac black varieties, which possessed higher TAC/TPC ratio and contribute more to antioxidant capacity and the rest of the varieties were in the third group with lower antioxidant capacities. The higher phytochemical contents and antioxidant activities of raspberry varieties in the second group indicated that their consumption would be more beneficial to health.     

The use of cooling and heating thermograms for monitoring of tallow, lard and chicken fat adulterations in canola oil

The use of cooling and heating thermograms from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for monitoring the presence of genuine lard (GLD), beef tallow (BT), chicken fat (CF) as adulterants in canola oil has been investigated. Mixing of animal fats especially lard and tallow in any form in food products is a cause of concern for certain religions. Canola oil samples spiked separately with BT, GLD and CF in levels ranging from 1 to 20% (w/w) were analysed by DSC to obtain their cooling and heating profiles. The heating measurements showed that detection of GLD and BT adulterations could be possible based on characteristic differences of GLD and BT adulteration peaks appearing in the higher temperature region of heating thermograms while cooling measurements showed that BT adulteration could be determined by a distinct exothermic peak appearing in the higher temperature region of the cooling thermograms. The determination of GLD by cooling measurements could not be possible since the changes due to GLD and CF adulterations were very similar.     

白兰地成分与酒龄关系的研究

以国内外不同类型白兰地为对象,系统地分析了白兰地的pH值、单宁、色度、总酚、非酒精挥发物总量、多酚类物质以及香气成分等;在此基础上探讨了上述成分与酒龄之间的关系;同时建立了白兰地酒龄判定的方法。     

A basis for estimation of consumption: literature values for selected food volatiles. Part II

In this paper we present a compilation of quantitative literature data on volatile compounds in 15 food items including some brandies, meats, oils as well as vegetables, vinegar and potatoes. Levels of the volatile compounds identified (approximately 900) in this group of food items are generally in the ppm range. Carboxylic acids were present in much higher levels in plum brandy, vinegar, lamb and mutton (heated), whereas alcohols, esters and carbonyls aldehydes are particularly abundant in brandy.     

Comparison of antioxidant capacity of commonly consumed youth beverages in the United States

Epidemiological evidence supports that polyphenol‐rich foods with high antioxidant potency promote health and may influence various metabolic diseases' development. Often beverage products claim to have antioxidant potency based on the perceived polyphenol content; however, few studies have examined the antioxidant potency of beverages with none reporting on commonly consumed youth beverages. This study's purpose was to measure total antioxidant capacity (TAC), expressed in Trolox equivalents (μmol mL^?1), in a variety of youth beverages, including juices, vitamin enhanced waters, sport drinks, energy drinks and various milk products. Significantly higher TAC (3.8–6.7 μmol mL^?1) was measured in 100% juices, while vitamin enhanced waters varied by brand (0.2–3.1 μmol mL^?1). Soda, energy and sports drinks measured the least activity (0.0–0.3 μmol mL^?1), whereas other milk types (strawberry, organic, regular and soya) measured no activity, except chocolate milk (3.0 μmol mL^?1). These results may improve beverage selection practices for youth, parents and dietitians to increase TAC of the paediatric diet.     

Optimisation of the partial napping approach for the successful capturing of mouthfeel differentiation between brandy products

Partial napping has been validated as a suitable sensory profiling method for brandy evaluation. However, it was found that, compared to conventional profiling, very little useful information could be extracted on brandy mouthfeel when it was evaluated as part of overall in-mouth perceptions. This study aimed to optimise the partial napping method to improve information output on the mouthfeel of brandies. Panellists’ proficiency in visual, aroma and in-mouth evaluation of brandies were scrutinised after which three partial napping protocols were tested to identify the most effective solution for the successful capturing of mouthfeel differences between brandies. The results showed that panellists were equally efficient in aroma and in-mouth evaluations, but that in-mouth perception (defined as retronasal flavour, basic taste and mouthfeel) was not a useful construct as it did not contribute to the product configuration that could be obtained with visual and colour assessments alone. Instructing panellists to ignore retronasal flavour delivered more useful results. Using dark glasses and nose-clips to eliminate visual, aroma and retronasal flavour perceptions were not necessary to obtain a reliable and interpretable representation of the mouthfeel differences between brandies. Clear glasses and written instructions were sufficient to generate useful mouthfeel information under conditions more representative of the consumer product experience.     

A Comparative Study of the Analysis of Antioxidant Activities of Liquid Foods Employing Spectrophotometric, Fluorometric, and Chemiluminescent Methods

The antioxidant profile of liquid foods is complex and includes different lipid and water-soluble compounds. These should be considered when assessing total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of these beverages, since it may act synergistically rather than individually. This study describes and compares the use of spectrophotometric methods (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, TEAC and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH), fluorometric (oxygen radical antioxidant capacity, ORAC), and photochemiluminescence (PCL) for the measurement of the TAC of different liquid foods (fruit juice mixed with milk and vegetables beverage). An evaluation was also made for the influence of certain compounds (ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, total carotenoids, and tocopherols) with antioxidant capacity that was present in the samples studied. The different methods studied allow the determination of the TAC of the analyzed foods in a precise and accurate way. The TAC values in the studied samples differ from the applied method. An overall antioxidant potency composite index was calculated by assigning each test's equal weight. When an index score was applied, ORAC method had the higher antioxidant capacity values in the analyzed liquid foods in comparison with the other methods. The correlations among the different methods used for the determination of the antioxidant capacity depend on food, that is, mainly due to compounds (lipid and water soluble) of the different food matrix. In addition, ascorbic acid was the main contributor to antioxidant capacity of fruit juice mixed with milk beverages measured with the different methods. However, in vegetables beverages, phenolic compounds were found to correlate more significantly with antioxidant capacity values.     

Chemical and Phytochemical Properties and Antioxidant Activities of Three Pomegranate Cultivars Grown in South Africa

A comparative study of chemical contents and antioxidant activities of three pomegranate cultivars (‘Arakta’, ‘Bhagwa’ and ‘Ruby’) grown in South Africa was conducted. Fresh pomegranate juice (PJ) of each cultivar were assessed for soluble solid contents (SSCs), pH and titratable acidity (TA), while extracted juice samples were evaluated for total phenolic (TP), including total tannins (TT), proanthocyanidins (Pcy), total flavonoids, anthocyanins and gallic acids (GA) using spectrophotometric methods. The antioxidant properties of the juice samples were evaluated against stable 2, 2–diphenyl–1–picryl hydrazyl, as well as in ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and QuantiChrom? (TAC) antioxidant assays. There were significant differences in the chemical properties of the cultivars. SSC, TA and pH varied between the range of 14.07–15.10 °Brix, 0.22–0.28 g/100 ml and 3.32–3.64, respectively. ‘Bhagwa’ had the highest TP (449.9 mg/100 ml), 1.3-fold and 1.6-fold higher than ‘Arakta’ and ‘Ruby’, respectively. The strongest total antioxidant activity was exhibited by ‘Bhagwa’ with an antioxidant index of 95.7%, followed by ‘Arakta’ (93.2%) and ‘Ruby’ (79.9%). PJ phytochemical properties (TP, TT, Pcy, GA) and antioxidant activity (FRAP and TAC) were significantly correlated (r ²?=?0.509–0.885) with each other.     

Simultaneous Determination of Phenolic Acids and Scopoletin in Brandies Using Synchronous Fluorescence Spectrometry Coupled with Partial Least Squares

Brandy, a spirit drink produced from wine (grape), is rich in phenolic acids due to its maturation in wooden barrels. Phenolic acids play a significant role in defining the sensorial characteristics of wines and brandies, and therefore, it is very useful to determine them. Synchronous fluorescence spectra of mixtures containing phenolic acids (gallic, vanillic, syringic and ferulic) and scopoletin have been used for the determination of these compounds by partial least squares (PLS)2. Synchronous fluorescence spectra were collected by simultaneously scanning the excitation and emission monochromator in the excitation wavelength range 200–500 nm, with constant wavelength difference 100 nm between them. The leave-one-out cross-validation method was used to select the optimum number of five PLS2 components (latent variables). The PLS2 model captured for 100 % of variance in the spectral block, and it accounted for 99.34 % of variance in the concentration block. The performance of the model was evaluated by means of root mean square error of cross-validation, root mean square error of prediction and coefficient of determination. The best model was used for the determination of the above-mentioned compounds in brandy samples at concentration levels 2–74 mg L^?1 for phenolic acids and 0.06–0.43 mg L^?1 for scopoletin. The PLS2 results were found to be in good agreement with those obtained by HPLC method.     

Major congeners of australian and imported brandies and other spirits as indicators of authenticity

The quantitative determination of the congeners methanol, n-propanol, ethyl acetate, i-butanol (2-methyl-1-propanol) and amyl alcohols (2-methyl-1-butanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol, which were not separated), was carried out on 61 Australian brandies, 61 French brandies and 50 wine distillates by gas chromatography. A comparison of the absolute amounts of congeners and their ratios (in the case of the C₃–C₅ alcohols) is presented in the light of several criteria of authenticity proposed by previous workers. Of these criteria, it was found that the amyl/i-butyl alcohol ratio and the i-butyl/n-propyl alcohol ratio were the most useful—on this basis, 11 French brandies (but no Australian brandy) were considered to be of suspect authenticity.     

Phenolic compounds in oak wood extracts used in the ageing of brandies

The oak wood extracts used in brandy production are extremely varied because of the different ways in which they are made: by infusion, by boiling or by maceration, with or without prior physical or chemical treatment of the wood. Such extracts release a large quantity of phenolic compounds and a very small amount of partially degraded lignin into the brandy, unlike spirits aged in oak barrels. Among monomer compounds derived from lignin, the presence of vanillic and syringic acids, vanillin, syringaldehyde, coniferaldehyde and sinapaldehyde can be noted. In the wood extracts, phenolic compounds and aromatic acids frequently dominate the ligno-complex and aromatic aldehydes respectively, which is not the case in brandies. Two samples of liquid extracts of oak wood displayed statistically aberrant vanillin contents.     

拉曼光谱结合距离匹配法快速鉴别掺伪食用油

以农贸市场购买的散装问题油为掺伪物,采用大豆油和玉米油为简单背景制备掺伪样本65份,采用4类食用调和油为复杂背景制备掺伪样本40份,收集市售合格食用植物油样本27份。按样本数3∶1划分建模集和校验集,采用拉曼光谱和距离匹配法分别建立简单背景和复杂背景的食用油掺伪快速定性识别模型:在简单背景掺伪下采用全谱建模预测可得真样本识别率为85.7%,伪样本识别率为94.1%,总识别率为91.7%;在复杂背景掺伪下经谱区挑选优化建模预测可得真样本识别率为87.5%,伪样本识别率为100%,总识别率为94.4%。试验结果表明拉曼光谱结合距离匹配法能简单、有效、快速地检测食用植物油是否掺伪。     

Detection of Panax quinquefolius in Panax ginseng using 'subtracted diversity array'

BACKGROUND: Food adulteration remains a major global concern. DNA fingerprinting has several advantages over chemical and morphological identification techniques. DNA microarray‐based fingerprinting techniques have not been used previously to detect adulteration involving dried commercial samples of closely related species. Here we report amplification of low‐level DNA obtained from dried commercial ginseng samples using the Qiagen^? REPLI‐g^® Kit. Further, we used a subtracted diversity array (SDA) to fingerprint the two ginseng species, Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius, that are frequently mixed for adulteration. RESULTS: The two ginseng species were successfully discriminated using SDA. Further, SDA was sensitive enough to detect a deliberate adulteration of 10% P. quinquefolius in P. ginseng. Thirty‐nine species‐specific features including 30 P. ginseng‐specific and nine P. quinquefolius‐specific were obtained. This resulted in a feature polymorphism rate of 10.5% from the 376 features used for fingerprinting the two ginseng species. The functional characterization of 14 Panax species‐specific features by sequencing revealed one putative ATP synthase, six putative uncharacterized proteins, and two retroelements to be different in these two species. CONCLUSION: SDA can be employed to detect adulterations in a broad range of plant samples. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

A comparison of the influence of eight commercial yeast strains on the chemical and sensory profiles of freshly distilled Chinese brandy

The current study examined eight commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains [Lalvin ICV‐D80, Lalvin FC9 EDV, Lalvin QA23, Lalvin RHST, Uvaferm 43, Enoferm Burgundy (BGY), Lalvin EC1118 and Lalvin M69] for their influence on young brandies, with a special emphasis on chemical, volatile and sensory characteristics. Results of the chemical analysis of the fermented wines showed that all of the strains exhibited a similar performance for ethanol production, but titratable acidity was more variable, with the highest being found in the yeast BGY‐derived wine and the lowest in the yeast QA23‐derived wine. Spirits produced using yeast FC9 EDV showed a significantly higher content of volatile alcohols, esters and acids, and conveyed to the brandy typical fruity and rosy notes. Brandies derived using yeast Uvaferm 43 presented the highest content of total benzene compounds and this brandy was characterized by rosy and onion attributes. Higher levels of varietal compounds and a medium rosy and slightly acidic and rancid nuances were produced when yeast QA23 was used. When using principal component analysis to classify the samples, there were four groups: group 1 ( ICV‐D80, Uvaferm 43 and BGY), group 2 (FC9 EDV), group 3 (QA23, RHST and EC1118) and group 4 (M69). This work sheds some light on the flavour complexity owing to the use of different commercial yeasts and provides useful information for the brandy‐maker regarding the choice of yeast for the fermentation based on the volatile profile. Copyright © 2012 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling