PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW ALCOHOL BEVERAGES BASED ON SUGAR SORGHUM

The current market of low-alcohol beverages has been evaluated. The production of alcohol-free beverages is characterized by an extremely wide variety of raw materials. It is allowed to use juices, concentrates, infusions, and extracts of vegetable raw materials, flavours, emulsions, aromatic bases, food acids, vitamins, colourants, stabilizers, preservatives, clarifiers, opacifiers, sweeteners, and other raw materials that meet the requirements of regulations in effect and are authorized by the Ministry of Health. It has been established that the use of natural vegetable raw materials, which are a source of biologically active substances, will help increase the demand for these beverages. As such raw material, it has been suggested to use sugar sorghum, which is a promising agricultural crop and is characterized by a rich component composition. It has been suggested to obtain low-alcohol beverages by wort fermentationon on the basis of sugar sorghum juice, with the addition of apple and apple-cherry concentrates. The physicochemical parameters of the wort have been determined, and suggested the modes of its fermentation with dry yeast from the manufacturers Biowin (Brewgo-01) and Fermivin (Gervin GV1), related to brewing and wine yeast races, respectively. The influence of these yeasts on the accumulation of fermentation by-products and on the formation of organoleptic characteristics of beverages has been investigated. It has been found that in the samples studied, most of the fermentation by-products are in quantities close to the perception threshold, and, certainly, they affect the taste and aroma profile of the finished beverages. The profile charts of taste and aroma have been constructed, and the conclusion has been drawn about the prospects of using sugar sorghum juice in the low-alcohol beverages technology based on natural raw materials.