Influence of Distillation System, Oak Wood Type, and Aging Time on Composition of Cider Brandy in Phenolic and Furanic Compounds

A control of phenolic and furanic compounds in cider brandy was carried out during maturation in oak casks, studying three technological factors: distillation (rectification column vs double distillation), oak wood type (French vs American), and aging time (32 months). Gallic acid and benzoic and cinnamic aldehydes significantly increased during maturation of cider brandies, the highest level of these phenolics being obtained when aging was conducted in French oak casks. Benzoic acids increased during aging, though furanic compounds were not influenced by the time factor. Distillation and wood factors significantly influenced furanic concentration; 5-hydroxymethylfurfural not was detected in fresh spirits and was extracted in the highest proportion in French oak. Volatile furanics, such as 5-methylfurfural, furfural, and 2-furylmethyl ketone, were influenced by the distillation factor, with the use of the double distillation system producing a higher level of these compounds. Scopoletin was the majority coumarin detected in cider brandies, the highest yield of which was obtained with the use of American oak

Characterisation of apple cider cultivars by chemometric techniques using data from high-performance liquid chromatography and flow-injection analysis

Analytical techniques (HPLC and flow-injection analysis) for determining sugars, organic acids, polyphenols and pectins in apples, were employed along with chemometrics in the ripening and classification studies of cider apples. The use of principal component analysis allowed the authors to reduce the dimensionality of the data matrix; three new variables were obtained that accounted for 76% of variance. The projection of the apple cultivars in the reduced space allowed us to visualize the data structure on the basis of the degree of ripening and technological characteristics of the cider apple varieties monitored. Linear discriminant analysis computed a canonical variable with a prediction capacity of 93%, using three groups for cancellation in order to validate the method. The use of modelling techniques, such as SIMCA and partial least squares made an adequate grouping of apple cultivars feasible on the basis of their degree of ripening

Influence of Distillation System, Oak Wood Type, and Aging Time on Volatile Compounds of Cider Brandy

A study of the influence of distillation system, oak wood type, and aging time on volatile compounds of cider brandy was carried out. Acetaldehyde and acetaldehyde diethyl acetal were influenced by distillation technology, oak wood type, and maturation time. The majority ester, ethyl ethanoate, increased during aging, the highest level of this ester being detected in spirits distilled by double distillation. The alcohols of higher molecular weight were better recovered in the rectification column than in the double distillation system. Ethanoate esters decreased throughout aging of the spirits, and their degradation velocity was lower in distillates obtained from double distillation. Fatty acids and their ethyl esters presented the opposite evolution during aging, detecting an increase in ethyl esters and a decrease in their corresponding fatty acids. An increase of 1,1,3-triethoxypropane was detected during aging. French oak contributes the trans isomer of β-methyl-γ-octalactone and American oak contributes the cis isomer