ABSTRACT

Wine may be defined in general as a product of the alcoholic fermentation of any fruit by yeast. Fresh orange fruit, pineapple and water melon were purchased from Abak main market, Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. Peeled pieces of orange, pineapple and water melon were measured respectively and was recorded (1707.4g). The 1707.4g of each of the peeled fruits were crushed and pressed to released pulp.2000ml of water was added. 40.5g of sugar (sucrose) was added for amelioration and mixed well and blended to obtain juices. Six different wines from orange fruit, Pineapple and water melon were produced using two strains of wine yeasts; (Saccharomyces ellipsiodeus and saccharomyces bayanus. The Juices were pasteurized for 161⁰F for 15 seconds to reduced microbial activities. The juices were then cooled for 39⁰F and pitched with a starter of both strains of the yeasts. During the process of fermentation, physicochemical changes such as pH, TSS, S.G & %sugar of orange fruit juice was observed to decrease from 5.98 to 4.20, 17, 954 to 10.753, 1.025 to 0.9795 respectively from day 1 to day 12. while %alcohol, T.T.A were increased from 1.50 to 12.00 and 0.000 to 16.13 from day 1 to day 12 in both strain of yeasts. Same trends were observed from pineapple and water melon juices. Wine from either orange fruit juice or pineapple juice in both strain of yeast were found to be acceptable because of its high alcoholic concentration of 16.13, 16.00, 17.10% and 16.30% at the end of fermentation in both yeast strains. But wine produced from water melon in both strains of yeast was unacceptable because of their low alcoholic concentration of 7.2% and 7.0% respectively. However, wines produced using water melon “must” was found to contain high load of lactic acid bacteria as contaminants. These organisms are responsible for producing lactic acid in the wine and bringing the pH value of the wine very low, increasing the wine acidity, astringency and sourness. Similarly, wines produced from pineapple and orange juices was acceptable as its were Scored high (6-9) by panelist compared to wine produced from water melon as they were scored low (3-6) by both yeast strains, hence it was unacceptable. Similarly, ester flavour of 77.31µg/kg and 32.15µg/kg ethylhexanoate in pineapple and orange wines in both strains of yeast accounted for the sweet taste of the wines, whereas ethylhexanoate flavour of 22.2µg/kg and 20.8µg/kg in water melon accounted for low sweet flavour in water melon wines.