Sara Canas¹, Ilda Caldeira¹, Ana M. Mateus^1,2, A. Pedro Belchior¹, M. Cristina Clímaco¹, Raul Bruno-de-Sousa³

¹ INIAP. Estação Vitivinícola Nacional. 2565-191 Dois Portos. Portugal. E-mail: evn.sara.canas@mail.net4b.pt

² Scholarship-holder of Project AGRO 8.1, nº 89

³ Instituto Superior de Agronomia. Departmento de Química Agrícola e Ambiental. Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa. Portugal

(Manuscrito recebido em 17.03.06 . Aceite para publicação em 12.06.06.)

The ageing of high quality brandies requires a period of storage in wooden barrels. Several studies have been showed the great influence of the seasoning process on the characteristics of oak wood and their influence on wines and brandies quality. This study provides, for the first time, specific information about the seasoning effects on Portuguese chestnut wood from two different geographical origins, namely on the moisture content and chemical composition over eighteen months of open-air seasoning. Concerning the drying process, the chestnut wood can be used for the barrel making after six months of seasoning, but the remained period will be necessary for the maturation process. The seasoning time, the geographical origin and the stack layer have a significant effect on the moisture content, colour intensity, dry extract and content of some low molecular weight compounds of the chestnut wood studied.

Key words: chestnut wood, geographical origin, seasoning, chemical composition

RESUMO

Efeito da secagem natural na composição química da madeira de castanheiro usada em tanoaria

O envelhecimento em vasilhas de madeira é indispensável para a obtenção de aguardentes de qualidade. Diversos estudos têm evidenciado o importante efeito do processo de secagem, a montante do fabrico da vasilha, nas características da madeira de carvalho e na qualidade de vinhos e aguardentes nela envelhecidos. O presente trabalho constitui o primeiro estudo científico sobre os efeitos da secagem natural, durante dezoito meses, no teor de humidade e na composição química de madeira de castanheiro português, de duas origens geográficas distintas. Relativamente à perda de humidade, os resultados indicam que logo após seis meses de secagem a madeira de castanheiro pode ser utilizada no fabrico de vasilhas, no entanto o período remanescente é absolutamente necessário para assegurar o processo de maturação da madeira e, portanto, a sua aptidão para tanoaria. O tempo de secagem, a origem geográfica e a posição das aduelas na pilha de secagem são factores que afectam significativamente o teor de humidade, a intensidade da cor, o extracto seco e os teores de alguns compostos de massa molecular baixa das madeiras de castanheiro estudadas.

Palavras chave: Madeira de castanheiro, origem geográfica, secagem, composição química

RÉSUMÉ

Le vieillissement en fûts de bois est indispensable pour l’obtention d’eaux-de-vie de qualité. Différentes études ont mise en évidence l’importance du processus de séchage, avant fabrication du fût, qui influence les caractéristiques du bois de chêne et la qualité des vins et des eaux-de-vie. Le présent travail est la première étude scientifique sur les effets du séchage naturel, pendant dix-huit mois, sur l’humidité et la composition chimique du bois de châtaignier portugais, de deux origines géographiques différentes. En ce qui concerne la perte d’humidité les résultats indiquent qu’après six mois de séchage le bois de châtaignier peut être utilisé pour la fabrication des fûts, bien qu’une période supplémentaire est absolument nécessaire pour permettre le processus de maturation. La période de séchage, l’origine géographique et la position des merrains dans la pile sont des facteurs qui influencent significativement l’humidité, l’intensité de la couleur, l’extrait sec et les teneurs en quelques composés de faible masse moléculaire des bois de châtaignier étudiés.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

Full text only available in PDF format.

REFERENCES

Belchior A.P., Caldeira I., Costa S., Tralhão G., Ferrão A., Mateus A.M., Carvalho E., 2001. Evolução das características fisico-químicas e organolépticas de aguardentes Lourinhã ao longo de cinco anos de envelhecimento em madeira de carvalho e de castanheiro. Ciência Téc. Vitiv., 16, 81-94.         [ Links ]

Belchior A.P., Carvalho E., 1983. A cor em aguardentes vínicas envelhecidas: método espectrofotométrico de determinação e relação com os teores em fenólicas totais. Ciência Téc. Vitiv., 2, 29-37.

Cadahia E., Munoz L., Simón B.F., Garcia-Vallejo M.C., 2001. Changes in low molecular weight phenolic compounds in Spanish, French, and American oak woods during natural seasoning and toasting. J. Agric. Food Chem., 49, 1790-1798.

Caldeira I. 2004. The aroma of wine brandies aged in wood. Cooperage technology relevance. 238 p. Ph D Thesis, Instituto Superior de agronomia, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa.

Caldeira I., Belchior A.P., Clímaco M.C., Bruno-de-Sousa R., 2002. Aroma profiles of Portuguese brandies aged in chestnut and oak woods. Anal. Chim. Acta, 458, 55-62.

Caldeira I., Pereira R., Clímaco M.C., Belchior A.P., Bruno-de-Sousa R., 2004. Improved method for extraction of aroma compounds in aged brandies and aqueous alcoholic wood extracts using ultrasound. Anal. Chim. Acta, 513, 125-134.

Canas S., 2003. Study of the extractable compounds of woods (oak and chestnut) and the extraction processes in the enological perspective. 303 p. Ph D Thesis, Instituto Superior de agronomia, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa.

Canas S., Belchior A.P., Caldeira I., Spranger M.I., Bruno-de-Sousa R., 2000a. La couleur et son évolution dans les eaux-de-vie Lourinhã pendant les trois premières années du vieillissement. Ciência Téc. Vitiv., 15, 1-14.

Canas S., Belchior A.P., Spranger M.I., Bruno-de-Sousa R., 2003. High-performance liquid chromatography method for analysis of phenolic acids, phenolic aldehydes and furanic derivatives in brandies. Development and validation. J. Sep. Sci., 26, 496-502.

Canas S., Leandro M.C., Spranger M.I., Belchior A.P., 1999. Low molecular weight organic compounds of chestnut wood (Castanea sativa L.) and corresponding aged brandies. J. Agric. Food Chem., 47, 5023-5030.

Canas S., Leandro M.C., Spranger M.I., Belchior A.P., 2000b. Influence of botanical species and geographical origin on the content of low molecular weight phenolic compounds of woods used in Portuguese cooperage. Holzforschung , 54, 255-261.

Chatonnet P., 1992. Origines et traitements des bois en tonnellerie. Vigne et Vin Publ. Intern., numéro spécial, 39-49.

Chatonnet P., 1995a. Influence des procédés de tonnellerie et des conditions d’élevage sur la composition et la qualité des vins élevés en fûts de chêne. 268 p. Ph D Thesis, Institut d’oenologie, Université de Bordeaux II.

Chatonnet P., 1995b. Le séchage et la maturation des bois en tonnellerie. Rev. Fr. Oenol., 151, 33-38.

Chatonnet P., Boidron J.-N., Dubourdieu D., Pons M., 1994a. Évolution des composés polyphénoliques du bois de chêne au cours de son séchage. Premiers résultats. J. Int. Sci. Vigne Vin, 28, 337-357.

Chatonnet P., Boidron J.-N., Dubourdieu D., Pons M., 1994b. Évolution de certains composés volatils du bois de chêne au cours de son séchage. Premiers résultats. J. Int. Sci. Vigne Vin, 28, 359-380.

CT 83, 1973. NP-614, Madeiras. Determinação do teor em água. Instituto Português da Qualidade, Lisboa, Portugal.

Doussot F., De Jeso B., Quideau S., Pardon P., 2002. Extractives content in cooperage oak wood during natural seasoning and toasting; influence of tree species, geographic location, and singletree effects. J. Agric. Food Chem., 50, 5955-5961.

Dubois P., 1989. Apports du fût de chêne neuf a l’arôme des vins. Rev. Fr. Oenol., 120, 19-24.

Fengel D., Wegner G., 1989. Wood -Chemistry, Ultrastructure, Reactions. 612 p. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin.

Francis I.L., Sefton M.A., Williams P.J., 1992. A study by sensory descriptive analysis of the effects of oak origin, seasoning, and heating on the aromas of oak model wine extracts. Am. J. Enol. Vit., 43, 23-30.

Haluk J.P., Schloegel F., Metche M., 1988. Étude de la couleur du bois -mise en évidence de réactions oxydatiques et oxydasiques chez le chêne. In: Bulletin de Liasion nº 14 du Groupe Polyphenols, 165-170.

Kallander B., 2003. Climate control in vacuum dryers for convective heat transfer. Part 2: Actual climates in industrial kilns and suggestions to improve kiln design. Wood Sci.Techol., 37, 3-9.

Klumpers J., Scalbert A., Janin G., 1994. Ellagitannins in European oak wood: polymerisation during wood ageing. Phytochemistry, 36, 1249-1252.

Larignon P., Cantagrel R., Roulland C., Vidal J.P., 1994. Incidence des pratiques de tonnellerie en Charente sur la microflore des merrains en fin de maturation. Rev. Fr. Oenol., 74, 9-13.

Marché M., Joseph E., Goizet A., Audebert J., 1975. Étude théorique sur le cognac et son vieillissement en fût de chêne. Rev. Fr. Oenol., 57, 1-17.

Masson E., Baumes R., Moutounet M., Puech J.-L., 2000. The effect of kiln-drying on the levels of ellagitannins and volatile compounds of European oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) stave wood. Am. J. Enol. Vit., 51, 201-214.

OIV, 1994. Recueil des méthodes internationales d’analyse des boissons spiritueuses, des alcools et de la fraction aromatique des boissons. pp. 85-89. Office International de la Vigne et du Vin, Paris, France.

Peng S., Scalbert A., Monties B., 1991. Insoluble ellagitannins in Castanea sativa and Quercus petraea woods. Phytochemistry, 30, 775-778.

Roulland C., Snakkers G., Cantagrel R., 1999. Approche expérimentale du rôle des microorganismes dans le processus de maturation des bois de tonnellerie. J. Int. Sci. Vigne Vin, 33, 67-78.

Salagoity-Auguste M.H., Tricard C., Marsal F., Sudraud P., 1986. Preliminary investigation for the differentiation of enological tannins according to botanical origin: determination of gallic acid and its derivatives. Am. J. Enol. Vit., 37, 301-303.

Sefton M.A., Francis I.L., Pocock K.F., Williams P.J., 1993. The influence of natural seasoning on the concentrations of eugenol, vanillin, and cis- and trans-b-methyl-g-octalactone extracted from French and American oak wood. Sci Alim., 13, 629-643.

Simon B.F., Cadahia E., Conde E., Garcia-Vallejo M.C., 1999. Evolution of phenolic compounds of Spanish oak wood during natural seasoning. First results. J. Agric. Food Chem., 47, 16871694.

Simpsom W.T., 1993. Determination and use of moisture diffusion coefficient to characterize drying of northern red oak (Quercus rubra). Wood Sci.Techol., 27, 409-420.

Swan J.S., Reid K.J.G., Howie D., Howlett S.P., 1992. A study of the effects of air and kiln drying of cooperage oak wood. In: Élaboration et connaissance des spiritueux. 557-561. Cantagrel

R. (ed.), Lavoisier -Tec & Doc, Paris.

Viriot C., Scalbert A., Hervé du Penhoat C.L.M., Moutounet M., 1994. Ellagitannins in woods of sessile oak and sweet chestnut. Dimerization and hydrolysis during wood ageing. Phytochemistry, 36, 1253-1260.

Viriot C., Scalbert A., Lapierre C., Moutounet M., 1993. Ellagitannins and lignins in aging of spirits in oak barrels. J. Agric. Food Chem., 41, 1872-1879.

Ward A., Hale M.D., Cardias-Williams F.C., 1998. The isolation of fungi from air and kiln drying oak wood used for the maturation of alcoholic beverages. Holzforschung, 52, 359-364.

Wilker K.L., Gallander J.F., 1989. Comparison of seyval blanc wines aged with air- and kilndried American white oak. Am. J. Enol. Vit., 40, 224-226.