Spirit drinks

Aperitif wines and spirit drinks including products with less than 15% alcohol (30 mg/1) can be used in combination with other colorants, but not to exceed 100 mg/1 fish roe (30 mg/kg)... 

Annex IV lists colours with very restricted food use E 123, E 127, E 128, E 154, E 161g, E 173, E 174, E 175, E 180 and E 160b. Examples of permitted uses include E 123 which may be added to aperitif wines, spirit drinks including products with less than 15% alcohol by volume, max. 30 mg/1, and fish roe, max. 30 mg/kg E 154 which may be added to kippers, max. 20 mg/kg E 174 and E 175 which may be used for external coating of confectionery, decoration of chocolates and in liqueurs, quantum satis and E 180 which may be used for edible cheese rind, quantum satis. 

Flavour of Spirit Drinks Raw Materials, Fermentation, Distillation, and Ageing... 

Aroma compounds in distilled spirits and liqueurs, their levels, odour attributes, and thresholds are most important for quality and authenticity. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, especially the composition of volatile aroma compounds in distilled spirits has been widely investigated [4-8]. By direct injection of an alcoholic distillate it is possible to determine more than 50 components within levels between 0.1 and 1,000 mg L b special methods of extraction can be used to increase this number up to more than 1,000 volatile substances [6]. However, sensory analysis is still indispensable to describe and evaluate spirit drinks. 

The following review focuses on the composition of flavour compounds in spirit drinks, their origin, and their sensory attributes like odour quality and threshold value. Important information on flavour-related aspects of technology, like distillation and ageing, as well as the main categories and brands of spirits to be found on the national and international markets are summarised. Finally, aspects of sustainability in the production of distilled spirits are discussed. 

Spirit drinks which are produced by flavouring ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with distillates of caraway or dill are called akvavit or aquavit and mainly come from Denmark and Scandinavia these spirits are flavoured using neutral alcohol distillates of caraway (Carvum carvi) and/or dill Anethum graveolens) the use of essential oils is prohibited. The impact compounds of these spirits are f+j-carvone and anethol. 

Ethanol and distilled spirits are produced from various renewable raw materials such as fruits, grapes, grain, sugar beet, and sugar cane, and even from waste materials like pomace and other fermentation residues thus, production of spirit drinks, especially distilled spirits, is based on further essential issues and components of sustainability ... 

Spirit drinks with their manifold and unique composition of ethanol and flavour compounds are not only used for direct human consumption but also as flavourings in many other food products, like bakery products and sweets their consumption and the regeneration of their raw materials are well balanced because all raw materials are regenerative plant materials. 

The social component which is also very important for sustainability of a production of spirits is fulfilled too the production of fruit brandy, cacha a, tequila, rum, etc. is a very important basis of existence or additional earning for small-scale agricultural producers. These producers either directly sell their distillates as spirit drinks or they offer them to bigger distilleries for mass marketing. 

I. European Commission Council Regulation (EEC) no 1576/89 (1989) Laying Down General Rules on the Definition, Description and Presentation of Spirit Drinks. Official Journal of the European Community no L160/1. http //europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/consleg/pdf/1989/en 1989R1576 do 001.pdf... 

Definitions, Descriptions and Presentation of Spirit Drinks, http //europa.eu.int/scadplus/ leg/en/lvb/121093.htm... 

N. Christoph C. Bauer-Christoph, Flavour of Spirit Drinks Raw Materials, Fermentation, Distillation, and Ageing. In Flavours and Fragrances Chemistry, Bioprocessing and Sustainability, R. G. Berger, Ed. Springer-Verlag Berlin, 2007 pp 219-239. 

Canthaxanthine colorant, soap Chromium hydroxide green colorant, soaps Chromium oxide (ic) colorant, solvents o-Aminoazotoluene colorant, spirit drinks Amaranth... 

As has been previously said, 2,3-butanodione (diacetyl) is an important aroma of alcoholic beverages, it has not been studied and measured extensively in the past because of analytical difficulties in the quantitation caused by its highly volatile nature, chemical instability, and interference of other compounds. Colorimetric methods to measure diacetyl have been widely used in the past. These methods involve steam distillation to isolate diacetyl from the matrix. However, distillation has the disadvantage of incomplete isolation of diacetyl from other closely related compounds that will result in an overestimation of its concentration. A fluorometric method was developed to improve upon the lengthy distillation methods that involve derivatization. Although acetaldehyde and its acetal can be determined by direct injection GC-FID in spirit drinks (EU reference method for spirits), most chromatographic methods for minor aldehydes implicate also derivatization. While a very sensitive and accurate method based on SMPE without derivatization and MS detection has been developed, it requires the use of... 

Brereton P, Hasnip S, Bertrand S, Wittkowski R, and GuiUou C (2003) Analytical methods for the determination of spirit drinks. Trac - Trends in Analytical Chemistry 22 19-25. 

Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2870/2000 of 19 December 2000 laying down Community reference methods for the analysis of spirit drinks, N.L. Official Journal of the European Communities, No. L333, pp. 20-46. 

Fish preparations and sh products Soups and sauces Nonalcoholic beverages Bitter-tasting spirit drinks or bitter ... 

Costanzo S, Di Castelnuovo A, Donati MB, lacoviello L, de Gaetano G. Wine, beer or spirit drinking in relation to fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events a meta-analysis. Eur J Epidemiol. 2011 26(11) 833—850. 

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