Artisanal Sour Butia Liqueur (Butia capitata (Mart.) Becc.): Study of the Maceration Process and Consumer Evaluation

Sour butia (Butia capitata (Mart.) Becc.) is a native fruit of the Brazilian Cerrado with high nutritional and functional potential, yet it remains underutilized commercially. The development of artisanal liqueurs represents a promising strategy to add value to this fruit while promoting income generation for smallholder farmers. This study aimed to produce artisanal liqueurs from sour butia and evaluate the effect of the alcoholic strength of the extraction solution (30, 50, 70, and 90% ethanol) on the physicochemical characteristics of the macerates and their sensory acceptance. The fruit pulp exhibited high lipid (10.08%) and carotenoid (173.49 µg/100 g) contents. The macerate prepared with 90% ethanol showed the highest extraction of organic acids, with malic and succinic acids accounting for more than 80% of the total organic acid content, and the lowest levels of lipids and carotenoids. Methanol was not detected in any of the macerates, confirming their safety. In the sensory evaluation, all liqueur samples achieved mean hedonic scores above 6.5. Liqueur T2 (20% ethanol and 60 g/L sucrose) received the highest overall acceptance, particularly for flavor and consumption intent. Sour butia liqueur demonstrated technological feasibility for production and showed satisfactory physicochemical characteristics and consumer acceptance, representing a promising alternative for adding value to this native fruit, reducing postharvest losses, and strengthening the regional bioeconomy.