Shelf-life evaluation of anthocyanin-rich tapuy (rice wine)

The production of free radicals in cells and body tissues has been linked to many aging-related disease. Interest in nutraceutical content of foods has intensified these days because of their health benefits as dietary antioxidants. Anthocyanin which are responsible for the red, purple and blue colors of many fruits, vegetables, flowers and cereal grains, are known to reduce the coagulation of blood platelets, inhibit formation of blood clots involved in stroke, vascular disease and heart attack, and promote higher levels of 'good' cholesterol. These compounds are present substantially in pigmented rice making it an enriched form of rice for taste and health benefits. PhilRice has successfully produced anthocyanin-rich tapuy from pigmented rice with good acceptability and high amount of anthocyanin. In order to investigate the storage stability of pigmented rice wine at room (27-30 deg C), cold (16-19 deg C), and refrigerated (4-7 deg C) conditions, shelf life evaluation was conducted. The physicochemical properties, anthocyanin content, microbial load, and sensory characteristics were monitored over six months. The color of wine slightly darkened after the storage period for all samples. No major changes on acidity and sweetness in the wine samples for all storage conditions while the anthocyanin content decreased as the storage time and temperature increased. No coliforms, molds or yeasts were detected in all samples while acceptable bacterial count was found in cold and refrigerated samples. Turbidity of wine was noticed with increasing time and decreasing temperature, with refrigerated sample being the most turbid. It was also observed that the overall acceptability of the samples decreased as the storage time and temperature increased. Further evaluation will be conducted to determine the optimum shelf-life of anthocyanin-rich red wine.