摘要：The sugar cane spirit or “cachaça” is produced by distillation of fermented sugar cane juice. The aging process of this spirit can improve its sensorial quality, but it doesn't represent a regular practice among Brazilians producers due cultural and financial reasons. The aim of this work was to verify if the irradiation of the casks could be an alternative to reduce the aging time of this spirit. Four samples from the same sugar cane spirit, distilled twice (68% alcohol v/v), were submitted to the following process: five liters were put in a glass bottle (control); five liters were aged in a small oak cask; five liters of a previously irradiated sample were put in another glass bottle; and five liters were aged in another oak cask previously irradiated. During the aging period samples corresponding to: 1, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 e 180 days were collected and submitted to sensory analysis. The irradiation was performed by a cobalt source and all samples were diluted to 40% alcohol v/v. Sensorial tests were carried out by 25 judges to verify the global difference and acceptation among the samples. The sensorial results revealed that the sample aged in the irradiated oak cask showed characteristics of aged spirits in a reduced time pointing out the potential use of irradiation in accelerating the aging process.
