Perspectives of the HACCP System in the Alembic Cachaça Certification

Cachaça is the name of a Brazilian beverage produced by distillation of fermented sugarcane juice. It is called “alembic cachaça ”  when produced in an agricultural environment, through fermentation of fresh sugarcane juice and distillation by batches in copper stills.  Due to the peculiarities of the process and the dedication of hundreds of producers, this drink achieved improved and highly differentiated sensory quality; conquering new markets and winning important prizes in national and international competitions. In this context, there is a growing search both for resources to prevent fraud in marketing and for certificates that attest to the safety of consumers’ health, especially HACCP. In this review article, we highlight the points already achieved in the standardization of the production process and introduce others that still require appropriate standardization, related to the control of pesticides in the sugarcane field, the safety of the wood used in the storage barrels and the certification of the production process. It is also proposed to review the limit of Brazilian legislation for the ethyl carbamate content.