Application of tamarind pulp for wine production

Abstract

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is a nutrient-rich fruit that has an acid and exotic flavor. It is widely consumed in natura at tropical countries such as India and Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of tamarind as a substrate for the production of tamarind wine. The pulp from ripe fruits was used to produce wine in three different proceedings: (1) whole pulp, (2) pulp without insoluble solids and (3) pulp without insoluble solids and pH adjusted to 4.5. In all cases, the fermentation was performed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and the initial concentration of soluble solids adjusted to 25 °Brix. The wine with the highest alcohol content (10.2 °GL) was obtained after 11 days of fermentation at room temperature (~25 °C). The alcohol content increased in 2.5 times with the removal of insoluble solids, and the pH correction contributed to an additional increase of 10%. The study demonstrated that tamarind presents good potential as a substrate for the production of wines, which can be an alternative to improve the utilization of the fruit.