This work was intended to evaluate the concentrations of furfural, higher alcohols, esters, aldehydes, copper, volatile acidity methanol and alcoholic degree of sugar cane brandies obtained from sugar cane both with and without previous burning. Samples of artisanal brandies from burnt and non-burnt cane, fermented with the same yeast and distilled in the same still, samples of burnt cane from an industrial brandy producer and samples of non-burnt cane obtained from another artisanal producer were utilized. The physicochemical and chromatographic (CG) analyses were accomplished in the Sugar Cane Brandy Physicochemical Analysis Laboratory at the Federal University of Lavras. The concentrations of furfural showed significant differences (P<0.01) among the groups of artisanal brandies obtained from sugar cane with and without previous burning, coming from the same manufacturing process with means of 1.48 mg.100mL-1 ethanol and 0.63mg.100mL-1 ethanol, respectively, although they have been bellow the maximum limit (5.0 mg.100mL-1 ethanol) allowed. The other components of the brandies studied were not affected significantly by the previous burning of sugar cane.
Sugar cane spirit; burnt cane and non burnt cane; physicochemical characteristic; furfural
