Ethyl carbamate formation in cachaça in function of the raw material and of the yeast

Abstract

The Brazilian production of cachaça is estimated in 1,6 x 109 L per year. Among the various compounds found in the beverage, the ethyl carbamate is currently considered a contaminant of concern both in relation to consumer health for the commercialization in the intern and external markets. Studies indicate that the reactions responsible for formation of ethyl carbamate are influenced by yeast strains, nutrients added to the sugarcane juice, ethanol concentration, fermentation temperature, however, no research results published on the raw. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of cultivar sugarcane and the yeast strain in formation of ethyl carbamate in sugarcane spirit. The experiment will be arranged in randomized blocks in a 6 x 2 factorial with four replications, the combination of six varieties of cane sugar (T1 = PO88-62, T2 = IACSP95-3028, T3 = SP81-3250, T4 = IACSP93 -3046, T5 = RB867515 T6 = IACSP95-5000) and two types of yeast (yeast strain and selected). The fermentations are conducted in a batch, on a pilot scale, simulating the process of making sugarcane spirit, using stainless steel (20 L) and copper still (10 L). Will be determined in the distillate ethanol, acidity, secondary compounds, methanol, copper and ethyl carbamate. The data will be submitted to ANOVA and Tukey test analyses (5%). (AU)