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. 2025 Mar 31;14(7):1222.
doi: 10.3390/foods14071222.

Chemistry of Mezcal: Volatile Profile of Artisanal Mezcal Made from Wild Agaves of Oaxaca

Rosa Elvira Sánchez-Fernández  1 , Artemio Pérez-López  2 , Anabel Morales-Solis  2 , Yesenia Manilla-Tellez  2 , Erika Daniela Reyes-Carmona  2 , Graciela Avila-Uribe  3
Affiliations

Chemistry of Mezcal: Volatile Profile of Artisanal Mezcal Made from Wild Agaves of Oaxaca

Rosa Elvira Sánchez-Fernández et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Mezcal is a distilled beverage with a complex chemical profile defined by volatile organic compounds and physicochemical properties that determine its sensory attrib-utes. This study analyzed nine artisanal mezcals produced from four wild agave species in Oaxaca using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify key volatile compounds for traceability and quality control. A total of 82 volatile compounds were identified, with esters, terpenes, and higher alcohols being the most abundant. Eight key compounds, including ethyl acetate, acetic acid, 1-butanol, furfural, methanol, and 2-methyl-1-propanol, were quantified due to their significant impact on mezcal's quality and authenticity. Additionally, 1,2,3-trimethyl-benzene, nerolidol, and terpinolene were identified as exclusive compounds for differentiating mezcal by agave species and storage duration. The findings highlight the influence of fermentation, distillation, and storage conditions on mezcal's chemical profile and demonstrate the importance of standardized analytical methods for product authentication. Proper management of variables during fermentation and optimization of the final distillation cuts is necessary to fully comply with regulatory parameters and ensure product quality. By establishing a catalog of compounds that characterize the mezcals, this study provides a scientific basis for improving quality control, ensuring regulatory compliance, and enhancing the traceability of mezcal in high-value markets. The next step is to validate the key volatile compounds with a larger sample and evaluate their reproducibility under different production and storage conditions.

Keywords: GC-MS; HS-SPME; agave; mezcal; volatile compounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Correlation graph between physical properties and volatile compounds. AA: acetic acid, FUR: furfural, PROP: 1-propanol, BUT: 1-butanol, MET: methyl alcohol, TSS: total soluble solids, DENS: density, EA: ethyl acetate, ADA: acetaldehyde diethyl acetal, ALC: ethyl alcohol, 2MPROP: 2-methyl-1-propanol, and VISC: viscosity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Principal component analysis. Variable correlation graph. EA: ethyl acetate, ADA: acetaldehyde diethyl acetal, MET: methyl alcohol, PROP: 1-propanol, 2MPROP: 2-methyl-1-propanol, BUT: 1-butanol, AA: acetic acid, and FUR: furfural, ALC: ethyl alcohol, VISC: viscosity, TSS: total soluble solids, and DENS: density.
Figure 3
Figure 3
MCA analysis of qualitative data, where X represents volatile compounds (see Supplementary Material Table S2). Abundance of compounds: AU (Absent 0%), ES (Scarce ≤ 5%), ME (Medium 5–15%), and AB (Abundant > 15%). In dark blue, the agave species used for mezcal production are indicated: T15: tobalá (2015), B15: bicuishe (2015), B17: bicuishe (2017), M16: madrecuishe (2016), M3G: madrecuishe (2018-2020), M21: madrecuishe (2021), T21: tobasiche (2021), E21: espadín (2021), T21-2: tepeztate (2021).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Heatmap of categorical variables and their distribution in agave species and subtypes. T15: tobalá (2015), B15: bicuishe (2015), B17: bicuishe (2017), M16: madrecuishe (2016), M3G: madrecuishe (2018, 19, 20), M21: madrecuishe (2021), T21: tobasiche (2021), E21: espadín (2021), T21-2: tepeztate (2021).
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