DEVELOPMENT OF A DESCRIPTIVE SENSORY WHEEL FOR CACHAÇA AND SUGARCANE SPIRITS

Introduction Cachaças and sugarcane spirits exhibit complex sensory characteristics, highlighting the need for standardized sensory vocabularies to support characterization, quality assessment, and communication. Objective To develop and consolidate a descriptive sensory wheel for cachaças and sugarcane spirits produced in Minas Gerais, expanding and refining the sensory vocabulary based on evaluations. Methodology The wheel was developed by adapting existing sensory wheels and refining descriptors through expert consultation and a panel. Twenty-four assessors were selected and trained through a five-stage protocol involving discrimination tests, sensory difference evaluation, vocabulary assessment, aroma references, and practical calibration. The panel evaluated 217 commercial samples during the 1st Minas Gerais Cachaça and Sugarcane Spirit Contest. Samples were characterized using CATA and Free Listing. Descriptors were consolidated based on semantic similarity and mean citation frequency, with terms ≥0.5 retained in the final wheel. Pareto analysis identified descriptors with descriptive relevance. Results A total of 140 terms were generated, comprising 66 CATA descriptors and 74 additional terms from Free Listing. After semantic consolidation, 110 distinct descriptors were identified, of which 73 met the inclusion criterion and composed the final sensory wheel. Compared with previous models, the wheel expanded the sensory vocabulary, particularly in animal, negative, vegetal/herbaceous, and sensation categories. Vegetal/herbaceous, sweet, woody, and fruity descriptors showed the greatest frequencies. “Fresh sugarcane,” “grass,” “vanilla,” “molasses,” “caramel,” “almonds,” “tropical fruits,” and “citrus fruits” were among the most relevant descriptors. Negative descriptors such as “medicinal,” “vinegar,” “nail polish,” “metallic,” and “rancid” were also prominent, supporting identification of undesirable sensory characteristics. Conclusions The proposed sensory wheel consolidates and expands the descriptive vocabulary of cachaças and sugarcane spirits, integrating characteristic and negative attributes into a hierarchical structure. Its development from evaluations and a panel provides a tool for sensory characterization, assessor training, quality assessment, and standardization of sensory communication in the cachaça sector.