124 Fundamentals of Distilled Beverages: Spirits and Their Raw Materials

Distilling the alcoholic beverage category down, sugar + yeast = ethanol. However, the manufacturing processes for these beverages are complex and unique. Utilizing a myriad of raw material inputs to produce numerous outputs is no small feat. This presentation will provide an overview of the distilled beverage landscape and will discuss some of the key product types, substrates, ancillary ingredients, and their manufacturing processes. On a fundamental level, we will also consider what by-products are created during the process of making these beloved liquids and how that might relate back to the animal industry.

Morphological and genetic diversity of traditional varieties of agave in Hidalgo State, Mexico

The agaves are plants of cultural importance which have been used by humans for about 10,000 years and about 40 specific uses. The most culturally and economically important of those uses are for the production of fermented (pulque) and distilled beverages (mescal). Pulque continues to be produced in nearly all of Mexico, and the agaves used for this purpose have shown domestication syndrome. We carry out an ethnobotanical, morphological, and genetic analysis of the traditional varieties of pulque agave used in the production of aguamiel (agave sap) and pulque in the state of Hidalgo. We did semi-structured interviews, free listings, and tours with 11 agave managers. We analyzed morphology and studied genetic diversity and structure using nuclear microsatellites. We found wild-collected, tolerated, transplanted, and cultivated varieties of agave. This comprised 19 traditional varieties of pulque agave, 12 of them in production during the study, which corresponded to the species Agave americana, A. salmiana y A. mapisaga and five intraspecific entities. The varieties were grouped morphologically according to a management gradient; the wild-collected varieties were the smallest, with more lateral teeth and a larger terminal spine. The cultivated varieties clearly exhibited domestication syndrome, with larger plants and smaller dentition. The expected heterozygosity (He) of the varieties ranged from 0.204 to 0.721. Bayesian clustering suggested the existence of three genetic groups, both at the level of traditional varieties of pulque agaves and for management categories, a result that matches multivariate clustering. Pulque producers in the studied localities maintain high agrobiodiversity. The cultivated varieties exhibit domestication syndrome, as has been reported for other species of the genus with the same selection purposes. Our results support the hypothesis of a decrease in genetic diversity in crops compared to wild-growing agaves, which seems to be due to vegetative propagation, among other factors.

Sensitive and Selective Voltammetric Sensors for the Simultaneous Quantification of Natural Phenolic Antioxidants in Cognac and Brandy

Aged distilled beverages (cognac and brandy) contain phenolic antioxidants as their quality markers. Voltammetric sensors based on the carbon nanotubes and electropolymerized pyrocatechol violet (PCV) or p-aminobenzoic acid (ABA) were developed for the simultaneous determination of the phenolic antioxidants in cognac and brandy. The polymerization conditions of PCV and ABA were optimized. Sensors allow for the simultaneous sensitive determination of gallic and ellagic acids as well as syringaldehyde and vanillin. The analytical characteristics are improved vs. other modified electrodes. The sensors show selectivity in the presence of typical interferences and other natural phenolics. The sensors that were developed were tested on cognac and brandy samples.

Caracterización fitoquímica de Agave shrevei Gentry

The current paper describes and quantifies the presence of total alkaloids, total phenolics, flavonoids and tannins in samples of Agave shrevei leaves, a plant traditionally used to produce distilled beverages in Durango, Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico, as a part of a project on the integral knowledge of Agave that allows the development of strategies for the use and conservation of these plant resources. Quantifications of alkaloids, total phenolics, flavonoids and tannins were carried out by spectroscopic methods, and the phenolic profile was obtained from HPLC-DAD. The phytochemical information generated revealed the pharmacological and nutritional potential use of A. shrevei.

Morphological and genetic diversity of traditional varieties of agave in Hidalgo State, Mexico

Background: The agaves are plants of cultural importance that have been used by humans for about 10,000 years for about 40 specific uses, of which the most culturally and economically important are fermented (Pulque) and distilled beverages (Mescal). Pulque continues to be produced in nearly all of Mexico, and the agaves used for this propose have shown domestication syndrome and selected morphological characteristics, such as larger plant size (since size is positively related to sap production) and less dentition of the leaves.Methods: In this study, we carry out an ethnobotanical, morphological and genetic analysis of the traditional varieties of pulque agave used in the production of aguamiel (agave sap) and pulque in two localities of the state of Hidalgo. We did semi-structured interviews and tours with crop owners, tlachiqueros (sap harvesters), and people related to the production system. We analyzed the morphology of 111 plants, and we studied the diversity and genetic structure of 130 individuals using 16 nuclear microsatellites.Results: We found wild, tolerated, transplanted, and cultivated varieties of agave. Asexual reproduction was the main method of propagation. We recorded 19 traditional varieties of pulque agave, 12 of them in production during the study, which correspond to the species Agave americana, A. salmiana y A. mapisaga with five intraspecific entities. The varieties were grouped according to a management gradient; the wild varieties were the smallest, with more lateral teeth and a larger terminal spine. The cultivated varieties clearly exhibited domestication syndrome, with larger plants and smaller dentition. The expected heterozygosity (He) of the varieties ranged between 0.204 to 0.721. Bayesian clustering suggested the existence of three genetic groups (K = 3), both at the level of traditional varieties of pulque agaves and for management categories, a result that matches multivariate clustering.Conclusions: Pulque producers in the studied localities, maintain high agrobiodiversity. The cultivated varieties exhibit domestication syndrome, as has been reported for other species of the genus with the same selection purposes. Our results support the hypothesis of a decrease in genetic diversity in crops compared to wild agaves, which seems to be due to vegetative propagation, among other factors.

Traditional and innovative aging technologies of distilled beverages: The influence on the quality and consumer preferences of aged spirit drinks

Aging is one of the most important processes in the production of high-quality spirits, including whisky, brandy and cognac. The contact between wood and distillates is a crucial step for the migration of chemical compounds, which evoke the novel sensory properties of the final products. Novel taste is pleasurable for a vast group of consumers and depends on cultural preferences. In order to demystify the main chemical compounds for aroma contribution, connecting them with a sensory profile of aged spirits is a crucial step in hastening the very timeless process without decreasing the quality. Consumption patterns of spirit drinks have been influenced by changed consumers? preferences and increased availability of different types of spirits on the market. Consumers? choice of one type of spirit drinks over others is significantly shaped by extrinsic attributes and consumer-based factors, but the choice among different available options of the single type of spirit may be based on consumers? perception of its specific sensory attributes. Therefore, the combination of taste, aroma, color and other sensory attributes of a spirit drink can shape consumers? perceived quality of the spirit and impact the potential of its market success in general.

A Brief History of Whiskey Adulteration and the Role of Spectroscopy Combined with Chemometrics in the Detection of Modern Whiskey Fraud

Food fraud and adulteration is a major concern in terms of economic and public health. Multivariate methods combined with spectroscopic techniques have shown promise as a novel analytical strategy for addressing issues related to food fraud that cannot be solved by the analysis of one variable, particularly in complex matrices such distilled beverages. This review describes and discusses different aspects of whisky production, and recent developments of laboratory, in field and high throughput analysis. In particular, recent applications detailing the use of vibrational spectroscopy techniques combined with data analytical methods used to not only distinguish between brand and origin of whisky but to also detect adulteration are presented.