Ciência sensorial aplicada à cachaça: desenvolvimento de uma roda sensorial e avaliação da influência de alegações sensoriais no rótulo

Abstract

Cachaça is a traditional Brazilian alcoholic beverage, characterized by a wide sensory diversity resulting from the various production practices adopted in its elaboration. Despite its cultural and economic relevance, strategies aimed at describing and enhancing its sensory attributes remain underexplored. This scenario highlights the need for studies that investigate more effective ways to translate the beverage’s sensory complexity, both within the scientific community and for consumers. In this context, the objective of this research was to develop methodological strategies to improve the sensory description of cachaça and its communication to consumers, through two approaches: the construction of a descriptive sensory wheel and the evaluation of the influence of sensory claims on labels. In the first study, a specific sensory wheel was developed and validated for cachaças and sugarcane spirits. The proposal was based on pre-existing commercial models but adapted through expert panel discussions and the sensory analysis of 217 samples during an official competition. Methods such as Free Listing, Check-All-That-Apply, Pareto analysis, and radial visualization were applied, resulting in a tool composed of 73 descriptors. The new wheel expands the sensory vocabulary of cachaça and serves as a robust instrument for sensory standardization, quality control, and sensory education. The second study evaluated the impact of sensory claims on consumer perception and acceptance of cachaça labels. Three experimental label versions were designed, varying the presence and format of the claim. The investigation was conducted with 117 consumers using the Text Highlighting technique combined with sensory methods (RATA and acceptance). Results showed that textual sensory claims significantly increased consumer engagement, perceptual focus, and product acceptance. The presence of the sensory wheel also sparked interest, although it required greater familiarity for interpretation. Both studies converge in the proposal to strengthen cachaça’s sensory identity through tools that combine technical rigor and communicative accessibility. By integrating descriptive analysis, applied sensory techniques, and consumer behavior research, this work offers valuable contributions to the cachaça production chain, promoting advances in differentiation strategies, market positioning, and cultural recognition of this national product.