Zuccheri e Brix, due semplici parametri di discriminazione degli aceti

SUMMARY Soluble solid concentration data as obtained with independent methods were compared against those estimated by refractometric Brix, refractive index and density data for different classes of food matrices all arising from grape must. Results show that data variability increases with density of the sample so that no significant correlations can be found between direct and indirect methods for solids and sugars determination. In particular, refractometric Brix data concerning the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena were strongly affected by the presence in these vinegars of very high molecular size biopolymers (melanoidins) as they form and accumulate during ageing. Although it represents a useless estimator of the sugar concentration, the refractometric response expressed with the Brix scale toegether with the concentration of both the glucose and fructose can be advantageously used to identify and distinguish the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Balsamic Vinegar as well as from other generic balsamic dressings.