Chemical composition in relation to the quality of wines produced fromNigerian syzygium malaccensis and Eugenia owariensis apples

Abstract

Proximate composition, mineral and vitamin contents of Syzygium malaccensis (red) and Eugenia owariensis (green) apples obtained from Calabar, Nigeria were determined. Musts of the two apple species were fermented for six days into wines and allowed to age for twelve months. The fat, protein, tannin and total acidity were significantly low among the two apple species. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the proximate nutritive values of the edible parts of the two apples. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were also observed in calcium, iron, sodium, vitamin A and carotene contents among the two apples. Vitamin A and carotene contents were higher in Syzygium malaccensis and lower in Eugenia owariensis, while the contents of vitamin C for both apples were similar. The zinc contents were in trace levels for the two apple species. Among the minerals, calcium content was found to be higher in S.malaccensis (5.54 ± 0.03 mg/100g) than in E. owariensis (5.16 ± 0.03 mg/100g) while the sodium and iron contents were higher in E. owariensis (1.5 ± 0.03 mg/100g and 0.43 ± 0.02 mg/100g respectively). The aged wines were subjected to physical, chemical, mineral and organoleptic analyses. Physical properties such as appearance, color, flavor and taste were examined using taste panels. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the total acidity, residual sugar and ash contents of the wine samples but the alcohol content was similar averaging 11.0%. The amount of sodium and iron were higher in E. owariensis (18.85 ± 0.02 and 3.6 ± 0.04 mg/l respectively) than in S. malaccensis (14.4 ± 0.02 and 3.1 ± 0.04 mg/l). The composition of the wine produced from S. malaccensis had acceptable pH, titratable acidity, alcohol, chemical and slightly better mineral contents when compared with E. owariensis wine. Both apple wines were crisp, clear with distinct apple wine flavor. The overall results indicate that S. malaccensis apple species with slightly better wine characteristics has strong potential for the production of quality commercial wine.