Application of ultrasound in wood chips on the accelerated aging of apple liqueur

Abstract

SummaryThe practice of aging beverages, such as fruit liqueur, incorporates phenolic compounds from wood, contributing to sensorial enhancement with new aromas and flavours. The apple liqueurs were prepared with 100 g L−1 of sugar, 20°GL and the addition of oak chips (toasted or untoasted) was previously treated with ultrasound (bath or probe). The content of total and individual phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH and ABTS) and colour were evaluated. A Ranking Descriptive Analysis was performed to evaluate the characteristics of each apple liqueur. The apple liqueur that received chips pre‐treated with an ultrasonic probe presented 116.5% more phenolic compounds, on average 4.9 times more antioxidant activity, and greater variation in total colour ΔE 7.03 than the control apple liqueur. The pre‐treatment with an ultrasonic probe accelerated the extraction process in approximately 60 days. The untoasted chips contributed by adding 17.4% more total phenols than the toasted chips, due to the significant presence of gallic acid. The pre‐treatment on wood chips accelerated the aging of apple liqueurs, increased phenolics compounds. Sensorially, the woody descriptors (taste, aroma and residual) were more intensely perceived and with the best acceptance scores among the judges.