Brazilian cachaça: “Single shot” typification of fresh alembic and industrial samples via electrospray ionization mass spectrometry fingerprinting

Copper pot stills (alembics) and industrial stainless steel columns are the most common distillation devices used in Brazil to produce sugarcane spirit (cachaça). The use of both apparatus originates two distinctive products, the so-called (a) alembic (the most valuable) and (b) industrial cachaças, respectively, with subtle but characteristic chemical compositions and sensorial properties. Herein, we demonstrate that the use of direct infusion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in the negative mode, ESI(−)–MS, is able to provide fast “single shot” fingerprinting discrimination between these two types of spirits. Representative samples of both spirits show ESI(−)–MS with regular sets of diagnostic ions of m/z 279, 255, 199, 171, 143 (alembic) and of m/z 377, 341 (industrial). Principal component analysis (PCA) of the ESI(−)–MS data consistently split the 34 alembic and the 14 industrial samples into two well-defined groups. Sugar addition to the alembic samples was also easily detected.