Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026

Multipronged Phenotyping Approaches to Characterize Sugarcane Root Systems
Published on: August 17, 2022
Formation of dextran deposits in Brazilian sugar cane spirits
Francisco Wendel Batista de Aquino1, Douglas Wagner Franco
1Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
Abstract:
The formation of dextran deposits in sugared Brazilian cachaça was studied as a function of the time considering the effects of temperature, molecular weight (M(w)), visible light, pH, and the presence of Ca, Mg, Cu, and Fe ions in the concentrations at which they are usually present in this beverage. At 25 °C and pH 4.4, the experimental half-lives (t(1/2)) for precipitation are 73 and 124 days for dextrans with M(w) 5.9 × 10(6) and 2.1 × 10(6) Da, respectively. For dextrans with M(w) 5.0 × 10(5) and 4.0 × 10(4) Da, the experimental t(1/2) values are >180 days. For a dextran with M(w) 2.1 × 10(6) Da a change in pH from 4.4 to 5.5 at 25 °C resulted in a t(1/2) decrease from 124 to 25 days. At pH 4.4 the visible light and the presence of metal ions in average concentrations usually found in cachaças do not exhibit noticeable influence on the rate of dextran precipitation.
Related Concept Videos
Production of Alcohol
Sugars as Energy Storage Molecules
Sugars as Energy Storage Molecules
Microbes in Beverage Production
