RELEVANCE OF ETHYL LACTATE AMONG THE CACHAÇA ESTERS

ABSTRACT The advancement in the technology of cachaca ─ sugarcane spirit produced in the Brazilian territory ─ has led to the search for parameters that allow the improvement of its chemical characterization and sensory specificities. Esters are important aroma agents, but their routine monitoring, as endorsed in Brazilian legislation, is restricted to the quantification of ethyl acetate, which is formed through the metabolism of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). However, being produced in a rural environment using fresh cane juice, fermentation of “cachaca de alembic” involves the presence and activity of lactic acid-producing bacteria, making the presence of ethyl lactate among the cachaca esters predictable. In this work, the levels of ethyl lactate and ethyl acetate were compared in 247 samples, corresponding to 56 brands produced in eleven Brazilian states. Ethyl lactate was found in levels that significantly alter the result of the quantitative participation of esters in the composition of cachaca. This fact is especially relevant considering that lactic acid bacteria are GRAS and widely recognized as a resource for improving the sensory quality of wines and other alcoholic beverages. Thus, studies on the contribution of lactic acid bacteria to the sensory quality of cachaca should be encouraged. Ethyl lactate, in addition to signaling a chemical specificity naturally occurring in cachaca, is a marker of other possible chemical and sensory peculiarities whose research should be stimulated.