CANAS, Sara et al. The Lourinhã brandies colour and its evolution in the first three years of ageing . []. , 15, 1, pp.1-14. ISSN 0254-0223.

The colour is a parameter with a great importance on the perception of brandies quality and normalization. The chromatic appearance of a brandy, like other food, determines the consumer first impression and its choice. The commercial value of a brandy is conditioned by its specific characteristics, which contribute to the product differentiation. Thus, the determination of brandy colour has a considerable interest for all of the elements involved on the production, commercialisation and quality control of the brandies. This work presents the characterization of Lourinhã’s brandy colour, as a function of wood and toasting degree of barrels used in the ageing process. It is also studied the colour evolution during the first three years of ageing, based on the followed parameters: the chromatic characteristics -colour intensity (A440), CieLab -the Folin-Ciocalteau index and the colour sensorial descriptors. Their correlations are also analysed. The analytical methods and the sensorial parameters used provide coherent and complementary information about the brandy’s chromatic appearance, which permit distinguish brandies with different ages, from different woods and toasting degrees. It is evident the influence of the phenolic composition in the brandies colour.

: aguardentes; envelhecimento; cor; CieLab; Indice de Folin-Ciocalteau; descritores sensoriais.

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