Performance Evaluation of Non-Saccharomyces in Wine Production

Abstract

Wines with different tastes, aromas, colours and acceptability produced through the fermentative action of yeasts are consumed worldwide Several studies have centred on the use of Saccharomyces sp. as the choice yeast for fermentation due to its desirable characteristics; however, in recent years, researches are being focused on alternatives to Saccharomyces sp. This study however was aimed at carrying out a performance evaluation of wine produced by the fermentative action of non-Saccharomyces (Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Pichia guilliermondii). The wines were produced using a mixture of pineapple juice and blended banana pulp as substrate.The fermentation process comprised of two set ups: one was fermented by Meyerozyma guilliermondii strain 1621 and the other was fermented by Pichia guilliermondii strain PAX-PAT 18S. An organoleptic (sensory) evaluation of both wines produced was carried out to ascertain the quality of the wines in comparison to a commercial wine. This was done using a 9-point hedonic scale rating. The wines were evaluated for their organoleptic characteristics including aroma, colour, clarity, taste and overall acceptability. The wine fermented by Meyerozyma guilliermondii had mean values of 7.3, 7.0, 6.4, 3.8 and 6.1 for aroma, colour, clarity, taste and overall acceptability, respectively. The wine fermented by Pichia guilliermondii had mean values of 6.2, 7.1, 5.5, 4.7 and 5.9 for aroma, colour, clarity, taste and overall acceptability, respectively. The commercial wine had mean values of 4.7, 6.6, 7.4, 7.4 and 6.5 for aroma, colour, clarity, taste and overall acceptability, respectively. Statistically, there was significant difference between the aroma of the wines (P≤0.05) while there were no significant differences in colour, clarity, taste and overall acceptability of the wines.  This study shows that acceptable wines can be produced using non-Saccharomyces yeasts like Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Pichia guilliermondii.