Chemical characterization and sensory properties of apple brandies aged with different toasted oak chips and ultra-high-pressure treatments

Aging is an important processing step of producing high quality apple brandy. In this study, apple brandies aged by traditional method and using three different toasted oak chips combined with or without ultra-high-pressure (UHP) treatment were prepared to compare their differences in chemical characterization and sensory properties. The results indicated that the brandies aged with toasted oak chip increased the levels of total acidity, volatile acidity and phenolic compounds. It also had the desirable color and taste. The brandy aged with toasted oak chip combined with UHP reached the highest levels of total acidity (1.06 g/L), total phenolic content (284.92 mg/L) and aromatic esters (49.37 %). Therefore, the aging with high toasted oak chip combined with UHP treatment could cut the traditional aging time to meet the same quality as traditional aging method. The results are very useful to develop a fast and efficient aging technique for brandy production.