https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.60.02.22.7285

Applicability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains for the Production of Fruit Wines Using Cocoa Honey Complemented with Cocoa Pulp 

Bárbara Teodora Andrade Koelher¹, Soraya Maria Moreira de Souza², Andréa Miura da Costa¹ and Elizama Aguiar-Oliveira^1*

¹State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), Rodovia Jorge Amado, km 16, Salobrinho, 45.662-900 Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil

²Executive Commission for Cocoa Cultivation Planning (CEPLAC), Rodovia Jorge Amado, km 22, Primavera, 45.600-970 Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil

Article history:

Received: 19 April 2021

Accepted: 20 December 2021

Key words:

alcoholic beverage, clarification, ethanol content, fruit pulp, Placket-Burman

Summary:

Research background. Cocoa honey (CH) and cocoa pulp (CP) are both fruit pulps highly appreciated but, until now, CH is less processed than CP. In this work, it was investigated the applicability of strains of S. cerevisiae to ferment CH complemented with CP, to obtain fruit wines and improve CH commercialization.

Experimental approach. The selection of a strain, previously isolated from cachaçaria distilleries in Brazil, took place based on its fermentation performance. The conditions for fermentation with S. cerevisiae L63 were then studied in relation to: volumetric proportion (φ_CH) of CH (complemented with CP), sucrose addition (γ_suc), temperature (T) and inoculum size (N_o). The best conditions were applied in order to obtain fermentation profiles.

Results and conclusions. S. cerevisiae L63 (N_o=107–108 cell/mL) is capable to ferment φ_CH of 90 and 80 % (V/V) for 24 or 48 h with γ_suc of 50 and 100 g/L at T=28–30 °C resulting in wines with ethanol contents from 8 to 14 % (V/V). Additionally, the φ_CH=90 % (V/V) wine resulted in the lowest residual sugar concentration (<35 g/L) than the φ_CH=80 % (V/V) wine (~79 g/L) which could be classified as a sweet wine. In general, S. cerevisiae L63 resulted in a similar fermentation performance than a commercial strain tested, indicating its potential for fruit pulp fermentation. 

Novelty and scientific contribution. Therefore, S. cerevisiae L63 is capable to ferment CH complemented with CP to produce fruit wines with good commercial potentials that may also benefit small cocoa producers by presenting a product with greater added value.