IDENTIFICATION OF AROMATIC ALDEHYDES IN THE EXPRESS ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF HERBAL DISTILLED DRINKS

Despite a long study of main types of the herbs used in the Russian alcoholic beverage production, the structure of the components participating in the formation of "bouquet" of the alcoholic beverages obtained on their basis has not been studied yet. A study of content of aromatic aldehydes characteristic of distilled drinks in aqueous- alcoholic extracts of shell of pine nuts, common St. John's wort herb and wild camomile flowers, and also in the distilled drink simulated on the basis of these extracts became the purpose of this work. The raw materials obtained from the plants growing in the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic of the Russian Federation have been used for this work. The extracts were obtained by infusing the air and dry raw materials of the corresponding type in the 40% water solution of ethyl alcohol within 15 days at a temperature of 20 ± 2°C, with periodic agitation of extraction mixture, separation of extract by decantation and cleaning with filtering. The identification and quantitative determination of aromatic aldehydes were performed using the system of capillary electrophoresis "Kapel'-105M". By the results of studies it has been established that the extracts differ, as for the content of aromatic aldehydes, both from the freshly obtained oak extracts and from the aged cognac distillates. A content of aldehydes has been revealed in the extracts of wild camomile flowers and St. John's wort herb at a level equal and higher than in the extract of shell of pine nuts within the total limits for the three considered extracts of, mg/dm3: for vanillin - from18.5 to 96.4, for syringic aldehyde - from 8.5 to 19.4, for sinapic aldehyde - from 9.6 to 17.5, for coniferylic aldehyde - from 22.0 to 47.9. There is no direct correlation between the content of aromatic aldehydes in the imitated distilled drink and the content of these aldehydes in the initial extracts. The obtained data on the content of aromatic aldehydes in the nuts and herbs extracts are one of the evidence of similarity of the processes proceeding when obtaining these extracts and the processes that are the basis of technology of cognacs. In future, the obtained data can be put in a basis of techniques of express control of readiness of extracts and authenticity of new drinks in merchandising and technological practice.