Abstract

Characterisation of the chemical and technological variables of the liqueur “Mirto di Sardegna Tradizionale” revealed the complexity of the product. The study concerned the berries, the partially processed product and the commercially available liqueur. The following parameters were analysed: alcohol content, net dry matter, total sugars, reducing sugars, total acidity, ash, total polyphenols, vanillin index, proanthocyanidins, free anthocyanins, flavonols, organic acids, cations, anions, myo-inositol, volatile compounds, the ¹³C/¹²C isotopic ratio in some constituents, amino acids and total nitrogen. Particular attention was paid to:

• method of extraction of the main components of the raw material (berries gathered exclusively from plants growing wild in Sardinia), depending on the different technical procedures employed by the most important distillers in Sardinia;
• chemical changes brought about by the preliminary stages such as dilution to reach the desired alcohol content, filtration, addition of sugar;
• characterisation of the finished product and differences in composition compared with other products made from aromatic compounds with the possible addition of other substances.

The results of the study were used to draw up a set of production regulations to safeguard the authenticity of this typical traditional Sardinian product, with proposals for a series of indicators to be used in routinary or detailed inspections.

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