Effect of maturation conditions on sensory and antioxidant properties of old Serbian plum brandies

ljivovica and Prepeenica are traditional Serbian distillated beverages made from varieties of plum, of the genus Prunus. The ageing in wooden casks not only improves the sensory characteristics, but also changes the content of total polyphenols and contributes to the other important health properties, such as the increase of their antioxidant capacity. In this study, home-made brandy (ljivovica and Prepeenica) samples were used, which matured in casks during the time period from 10 to 47 years. The aim of this investigation was to examine the influence of the ageing parameters (time period and type of wooden casks) and raw material (plum cultivars) on the total polyphenol content, amount of certain phenol compounds, sensory properties, colour and antioxidant properties in matured brandies. The individual phenol components were determinated using HPLC system equipped with diode array detector, while the total phenol content and antioxidant activity was estimated using spectrophotometric methods (Folin-Ciocalteu, DPPH, FRAP and TEAC). Total polyphenol content (TPC) of aged Prepeenica samples was ranged from 230.26 to 890.26 mg/L gallic acid equivalents (GAE mg/L), whereas the TPC of ljivovica sample was 110.38 mg/L. Antioxidant capacity of analysed Prepeenica samples and ljivovica sample was in strong correlation with TPC. Total sensory score of all samples was very high and varied between 18.2 and 19.8. The obtained results have shown that the benefit of longer maturation on sensory characteristics is well recognized, but the improvement has some limitation

Liberation of recalcitrant cell wall sugars from oak barrels into bourbon whiskey during aging

Abstract Oak barrels have been used by humans for thousands of years to store and transport valuable materials. Early settlers of the United States in Kentucky began charring the interior of new white oak barrels prior to aging distillate to create the distinctively flavored spirit we know as bourbon whiskey. Despite the unique flavor and cultural significance of “America’s Spirit”, little is known about the wood-distillate interaction that shapes bourbon whiskey. Here, we employed an inverse method to measure the loss of specific wood polysaccharides in the oak cask during aging for up to ten years. We found that the structural cell wall wood biopolymer, cellulose, was partially decrystallized by the charring process. This pyrolytic fracturing and subsequent exposure to the distillate was accompanied by a steady loss of sugars from the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions of the oak cask. Distinct layers of structural degradation and product release from within the barrel stave are formed over time as the distillate expands into and contracts from the barrel staves. This complex, wood-sugar release process is likely associated with the time-dependent generation of the unique palate of bourbon whiskey