title: Production and composition of cider spirits distilled in "alquitara".
abstract: The capacity of alquitara (a traditional distillation system) to produce cider brandies is evaluated. To do so, the chemical composition of 12 fractions obtained during the distillation process and the cider brandies obtained from five ciders were analyzed (alcohol strength, methanol, volatile substances, furfural, and metals), taking into account European and Spanish legislation. During the course of distillation, an important increase in methanol, furfural, 2-phenylethanol, and metals in the last fractions was observed, while fusel oils were more abundant in the first fractions collected. Only acetaldehyde behaved differently, showing a minimum concentration in the middle fractions that might be explained by its formation on the surface of alquitara. On the other hand, the final distillates obtained by means of this method complied with the considered regulations. Worth highlighting in this regard are the low levels of a potential toxin such as methanol, as well as the detection of a constant ratio for methanol, ethanol, and fusel oil for the pairs of cider/spirits analyzed, which could be interpreted as an indication of good uniformity in the distillation system and method, thus guaranteeing product quality.
authors.affiliation: Area de Tecnología de los Alimentos, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), E-33300 Villaviciosa (Asturias), Spain.
authors.forename: Roberto Rodríguez
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Madrera
authors.forename: Belén Suarez
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Valles
authors.forename: Ana García
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Hevia
authors.forename: Ovidio García
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Norman Fernandez
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Tascón
authors.forename: Juan José Mangas
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Alonso
mesh_terms: D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis; D005285:Fermentation; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D005662:Furaldehyde / Q000032:analysis; D027845:Malus / Q000737:chemistry*; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis; D000432:Methanol; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D000431:Ethanol; D005662:Furaldehyde; D000432:Methanol