Scientific Aspects of Identification Criteria for Fruit Distillates

Introduction. Beverages based on fruit distillates belong to elite alcoholic drinks. As a result, there is a high risk of counterfeit. Controlled indicators do not allow identifying distillates by the type of raw material. The research objective was to develop scientifically based identification criteria for fruit distillates. Study objects and methods. The research featured ten fruits and their distillates. It involved three schemes of pre-distillation processing: pulp fermentation, juice fermentation, and pulp fermentation with subsequent maceration. The biochemical composition of raw materials was assessed by the HPLC analysis of mass concentration of sugars, titratable acids, pH, mono- and disaccharides, free organic acids and amino acids, as well as by the sugar-acid index. The concentration of higher alcohols in the distillates was determined using gas chromatography. Results and discussion. The research revealed significant differences in the biochemical composition of raw materials, which made it possible to divide it into groups depending on the methods of pre-distillation processing. The groups can be identified by the ratio of the concentrations of the main higher alcohols: 1-propanol to the sum of isobutanol and isoamylol. The revealed differences were caused by the peculiarities of the ratio of organic acids and amino acids. For the distillates of Cornelian cherry, black currant, cherry-plum, plum, cherry, and apricot, the ratio of 1-propanol to the sum of isobutanol and isoamylol was within the following ranges: 0.02–0.06, 0.08–0.10, 0.30–0.35, 0.47–0.51, 0.55–0.65, and 0.69–0.92, respectively. The method of preparing raw materials for distillation did not affect the values of the identification indicator. Conclusion. The ratio of 1-propanol to the sum of isobutanol and isoamylol could serve as an indicator for the identification of distillates of Cornelian cherries, black currant, cherry-plum, plum, cherry, and apricot. However, it proved useless for distillates of pears, raspberries, tangerines, and mulberries, since its values were within comparable limits. Therefore, the research requires a GC-MS analysis to determine the concentration and ratios of other specific volatile components in other raw materials.