Fermentation of sapota (Manilkara achras) into wine

The present study was conducted to utilize the sapota fruit wasted during seasonal glut for the production of wine. Being rich in sugars, sapota is a suitable raw material for fermentation which is an efficient method for the preservation of the nutritional, antioxidative, and functional properties of this fruit. Effect of addition of various nitrogen and phosphorus supplements was studied whereby, an optimum 0.33% Yeast Nitrogen Base (YNB) led to the completion of fermentation in 7 days with an ethanol content of 8.15% (v/v). Under optimized conditions, fermentation validated at 3 L scale produced sapota wine having 9.04% ethanol along with total phenols, ascorbic acid, acidity, and pH of 98.1 mg/100 ml, 34.2 mg/100 ml, 0.21% (w/v), and 4.45, respectively. Organoleptic evaluation of dehydrated samples of sapota wine by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy analysis revealed the presence of esters, acids, alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones. Sensory evaluation on the basis of various attributes like appearance, taste, aroma, and overall feel showed the production of a sweet, nonastringent sapota wine. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Sapota has a short shelf life and gets rapidly deteriorated resulting in seasonal glut which leads to high postharvest losses. Sapota fruit is rich in sugars, minerals, and polyphenols, hence production of wine may serve as a viable method to preserve the nutritional and antioxidant properties of the fruit. The present study has shown the production of a sweet, nonastringent wine from sapota through fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 11815 using YNB as the preferred supplement in the must. Therefore, production of wine from sapota will help to prolong the shelflife of the fruit, besides increasing the diversity of wines in India. Further, sapota wine industry may also help to generate the rural employment and better economic returns to the farmers.