Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit; brandy is distilled wine; tequila is made out of cactus. That means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
J Agric Food Chem. 2016 Dec 21;64(50):9515-9522. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6b04612. Epub 2016 Dec 9.
Aroma-Active Compounds in Bartlett Pears and Their Changes during the Manufacturing Process of Bartlett Pear Brandy.
- 1Lehrstuhl für Lebensmittelchemie, Technische Universität München , Lise-Meitner-Straße 34, D-85354 Freising, Germany.
Abstract
Application
of aroma extract dilution analysis to Bartlett pears and the fermented
mash produced thereof revealed 24 and 34 aroma-active compounds in the
flavor dilution (FD) factor range between 8 and 8192. Twenty-eight
compounds, which have not been described before in Bartlett pears or in
fermented pear mash, were identified. While ethyl (E,Z)-2,4-decadienoate
(pear-like, metallic odor impression), hexyl acetate (green, fruity),
and acetic acid (vinegar-like) showed the highest concentrations in
Bartlett pears, ethanol (ethanolic), acetic acid, 3-methyl-1-butanol
(malty), 1-hexanol (grassy, marzipan-like), (S)-2- and 3-methylbutanoic
acid (sweaty), and 2-phenylethanol (flowery, honey-like) were present at
the highest amounts in the fermented mash. The key aroma compounds were
quantitated in each pear brandy
production step (pears, fermented mash, distillate, and aged
distillate) by stable isotope dilution analysis showing a clear
influence of each step on the overall aroma of the spirit and,
consequently, revealing clearly changing concentrations (e.g., of ethyl
(S)-2-methylbutanoate, (E)-β-damascenone, ethyl (E,Z)-2,4-decadienoate,
and ethyl (E,E)-2,4-decadienoate) and different aroma perceptions during
the manufacturing process. In addition, the concentrations of the
so-called "pear esters" ethyl (E,Z)-2,4-decadienoate and ethyl
(E,E)-2,4-decadienoate were determined in 6 different pear varieties
(Abate Fetel, Anjou, Bartlett, Forelle, Kaiser Alexander, and Packham's
Triumph) clearly demonstrating the aroma potential of the variety
Bartlett, which is mostly used for brandy production due to the high amounts of both esters eliciting a typical pear-like odor impression.
KEYWORDS:
Bartlett pear brandy;
Bartlett pears; aging; aroma extract dilution analysis; distillation;
fermentation; production; stable isotope dilution analysis
