Multivariate analyses of UV-Vis absorption spectral data from cachaça wood extracts: a model to classify aged Brazilian cachaças according to the wood species used

Abstract

Multivariate analyses of UV-Vis spectral data from cachaça wood extracts provide a simple and robust model to classify aged Brazilian cachaças according to the wood species used in the maturation barrels. The model is based on inspection of 93 extracts of oak and different Brazilian wood species by a non-aged cachaça used as an extraction solvent. Application of PCA (Principal Components Analysis) and HCA (Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) leads to identification of 6 clusters of cachaça wood extracts (amburana, amendoim, bálsamo, castanheira, jatobá, and oak). LDA (Linear Discriminant Analysis) affords classification of 10 different wood species used in the cachaça extracts (amburana, amendoim, bálsamo, cabreúva-parda, canela-sassáfras, castanheira, jatobá, jequitibá-rosa, louro-canela, and oak) with an accuracy ranging from 80% (amendoim and castanheira) to 100% (bálsamo and jequitibá-rosa). The methodology provides a low-cost alternative to methods based on liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to classify cachaças aged in barrels that are composed of different wood species.