Effects of Yeast Concentration and Total Soluble Solids on the Quality of Wine Produced from Pineapple

This research was carried out to determine the effects of yeast concentration and total soluble solids on the quality of wine produced from pineapple. The experiment was a Response Surface Methodology in the form of Rotatable Central Composite Design (RCCD). Ripe pineapple fruit (Ananas comosus) was processed using pressure extraction to obtain the juice. The juice was divided into thirteen (13) portions. Each portion’s total soluble solids was adjusted using sugar syrup and then pitched with specified yeast concentration. All the thirteen (13) samples were fermented for 168 h at 25±3 °C and aged for seven weeks. The wine was analyzed for pH, titratable acidity, ash content, final total soluble solids and alcohol content using standard methods. The sensory attributes (colour, aroma, taste, mouth-feel, texture and general acceptability) of the wines were analyzed by a twenty-five member panelist using 9-point hedonic scale. The results of the physico-chemical analysis of the pineapple wines showed that pH , titratable acidity (tartaric acid) content, alcohol and final total soluble solids ranged from 3.58 – 4.58, 0.33 – 0.59 %, 4.33 – 10.66 %v/v, 3.35 – 5.65 °Brix respectively. The ash content ranged from 0.20 – 0.50 %. The mean sensory scores for colour, taste, aroma, texture, mouth-feel and general acceptance ranged from 3.28 – 7.96, 4.08 – 6.68, 4.04 – 5.96, 4.16 – 5.32, 4.00 – 5.84 and 4.04 – 6.72 respectively. The mouthfeel of the pineapple wine samples did not differ significantly (P ≥ .05). Taste and alcohol exhibited significant model (P < .05), and were fitted into regression models. Pineapple has been found suitable for wine production. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae var cerevisiae concentration of 6 %v/v and total soluble solids of 25 °Brix is suitable for production of pineapple wine and should be adopted.