The undesirable sensorial characteristics of the sulfur compounds, and the negative role that they can play in the sensorial quality of the sugar cane spirits, led us to study, the possibility of correlation between sulfur levels and sensory attributes of this beverage. In that sense sulfur levels were determined in seven different samples of sugar cane spirit: four commercial samples were acquired in the local trade and the others produced in our laboratory, by using 3 little stills. One of them was made of copper, the other of stainless steel and the third one of aluminium. The samples were then submitted to acceptability tests for aroma, flavor and global impression, performed by a panel of 30 judges, in individual cabins, by using a hedonic scale of nine centimeters. The results submitted to ANOVA, Tukey test and regression analysis, showed a significant negative linear correlation (p<FONT FACE="Symbol">£</font> 0,05), between the sulfur levels and acceptability for aroma, flavor and global impression, pointing out the negative role of the sulfur compounds in the sugar cane spirits quality. and indicated that the Ni Raney's method, can be used in the quality control of this beverage.
Sugar cane spirit; sulfur levels; sensorial analysis; quality control
