Discrimination of stored and aged cachaça using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and supervised classification
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58430/jib.v132i1.93Keywords:
cachaça, distilled spirit, synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, storage, ageing time, woodAbstract
Why was the work done: Brazilian legislation requires 'aged' cachaça to be matured for a minimum of one year in wooden barrels with a maximum capacity of 700 L. 'Stored' cachaça is stored for less than a year in wooden barrels that are bigger than 700L. Discrimination between these categories is required to mitigate against economic fraud, as the maturation process increases production costs and market value. The development of robust analytical methodologies for discrimination assures labelling integrity and protects the commercial value of the spirit.
How was the work done: Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) was used to analyse 212 samples of cachaça that were either aged or stored in barrels made of oak, umburana, bálsamo, jequitibá, and amendoim. To differentiate the two classes, supervised classification models based on partial least squares discriminant analysis were developed. Savitzky–Golay smoothing with the first derivative was used to preprocess the spectral data before splitting them into two datasets: a training set (141 samples) and a test set (71 samples) for respectively building and then validating the model.
What are the main findings: Using synchronous fluorescence spectra recorded at a Δλ (λem - λexc) of 30 nm, the model differentiated 88% of the cachaça samples as either stored or aged.
Why is the work important: The method is simple, fast and inexpensive. It establishes a robust analytical methodology to differentiate aged and stored cachaça. This study enables the validation of cachaça, providing regulatory agencies with a tool for authentication and quality control.
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