SENSORY EVALUATION AND CORRELATION ANALYSIS BETWEEN ATTRIBUTES OF BRS CARMEM GRAPE LIQUEUR MADE WITH CEREAL ALCOHOL

The liqueur industry has shown continuous growth, driven by the demand for distinctive beverages and the incorporation of fruits that provide characteristic color, aroma, and flavor. In Brazil, this sector is strategic for the use of crop surpluses and for adding value to viticulture. Cereal alcohol, due to its neutrality, is widely used in liqueur production, as it preserves the fruit’s sensory attributes and contributes to product standardization. The BRS Carmem grape, developed by Embrapa for juice production, was used in this study as an alternative for liqueur application, exploring its potential for the utilization of surpluses and promoting processes that are easily adopted by small-scale farmers. This work aimed to develop a BRS Carmem grape liqueur using cereal alcohol as the alcoholic base. Production followed a formulation adapted from Embrapa and was conducted according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The sanitized grapes were added to stainless steel vats under controlled temperature, together with the alcoholic base, and left to macerate for 60 days. Afterwards, the extracts were filtered and inverted sugar was added, in accordance with Brazilian legislation for fine liqueurs. After this stage, the products were left for seven days, filtered again, and bottled in sterilized glass containers. The sensory evaluation was conducted with 111 consumers aged over 18 years, in individual booths under white lighting. Samples were served in acrylic cups (40 mL) containing 15 mL of liqueur, coded with three-digit numbers. Eight attributes (appearance, color, consistency, aroma, flavor, sweetness, alcohol content, and overall impression) were evaluated using a nine-point hedonic scale. The acceptability index (AI) was calculated by the ratio between the mean score and the maximum score of the scale. Results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation and analyzed using Student’s t-test, two-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s test (α = 0.05). Pearson’s correlation was applied to verify relationships among sensory attributes. The results showed good acceptance, especially for appearance (7.6 ± 1.4; AI = 84.4%), color (7.5 ± 1.6; AI = 83.3%), flavor (7.1 ± 1.4; AI = 78.9%), and overall impression (7.1 ± 1.3; AI = 78.9%). The overall impression was strongly associated with flavor, alcohol content, and sweetness, highlighting the importance of these attributes in product perception. It was concluded that the BRS Carmem grape liqueur presented positive acceptance and consistent relationships among attributes, establishing itself as an alternative for the diversification of this cultivar and value addition in production systems.