Técnicas analíticas e ferramentas quimiométricas para autenticação de uísques: uma revisão

Abstract

Adulteration is often observed in high-priced products. Alcoholic beverages, especially those in high consumption, are the main target of such violations. Whiskies, distilled spirits made from fermented grain, are frequently counterfeited in various ways, either by diluting them with cheaper spirits or by completely replacing the contents of the bottle with an inferior product. Thus, analytical techniques are employed to analyze suspect whiskey samples in order to verify their authenticity. The aim of this literature review is to compare different analytical techniques used to examine seized whiskies and to verify differences between authentic products, focusing on chemometric analysis as a tool for processing and interpreting spectral data. Using spectrophotometry, mass spectrometry and paper-based devices, the presence of markers specific to certain whiskies as well as unauthorized additives that confirms adulterations. These methods offer advantages such as minimal sample consumption and no sample preparation is required. In combination with chemometrics, these tools are an indispensable instrument for trustworthy analyses and enable the development of more comprehensive models capable of increasingly detecting and verifying violations in this area.