Physical-Chemical and Sensory Characteristics Blends Produced with Unaged Cachaça and Aged Using Jackfruit Wood

Cachaça is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane produced exclusively in Brazil and is the second most consumed alcoholic beverage by the Brazilian population. During the maturation process, which is carried out either in wooden barrels or with the addition of wood chips, compounds such as organic acids and phenolic substances are extracted into the beverage, providing specific characteristics to the beverage. The current research mainly focused on evaluating the impact of adding different types of cachaças, stored under different conditions, in the production of blends. To evaluate the impact, three different cachaça blends were produced through mixing the beverage stored under different conditions-conventional aging and storage in wooden barrels (CWB); storage in stainless steel barrels with wooden chips (SSW); and storage in stainless steel barrels with wooden chips under aeration (SSWA)-in a proportion of 50% v/v with white cachaça (not aged). The blends were assessed for physicochemical properties, phenolic composition, sensory profile, consumer acceptability, and ranking preference. The results showed that samples mixed with SSW presented higher values of total acidity, volatile acidity, total esters, dry extract, and total phenolic compounds when compared with cachaça CWB. Experts described the cachaça blends as having a balanced/harmonious flavor, moderately woody, with alcohol and acidity, and a mild spice. No significant differences were observed in consumer acceptability between treatments. However, the cachaça blends prepared with samples stored in stainless steel tanks containing wooden chips, showed greater preference among consumers. Therefore, blending unaged cachaça with cachaça aged with wooden chips appears to be a promising and advantageous alternative for the cachaça production process, since the aging time of the beverage can be reduced, preserving its physical-chemical and sensory characteristics.