Processing of alcohol pomelo beverage (Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck) using saccharomyces yeast: Optimization, physicochemical quality, and sensory characteristics

Abstract

In the harvest season, besides good quality pomelos, many unqualified pomelos exist for commercial purposes. However, these products still have much potential to be exploited to optimize profits for producers. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of developing a alcohol pomelo beverage (APB) process from pomelo to create added value for this fruit. In this study, pomelo fruit, a tropical fruit with high nutritional values, was used as the primary substrate for a process of alcoholic fermentation using Saccharomyces strains. The indicators included yeast with a density of 103, 105, and 107 CFU/mL, initial total soluble solid (TSS) was 19, 23, and 27, and the fermentation time was 0, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 days. The result shows that the optimal fermentation process could be carried out at the initial TSS of 27%, yeast density of 103 CFU/mL, and fermentation time of 12 days to attain the final product with the alcohol content of 10.35% (v/v). In addition, the final product was found to show the presence of phytochemicals such as phenols, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, quinones, saponins, terpenoids, and steroids. The total polyphenol content in beverage was 271.3 mg GAE/mL, highly correlated to its antibacterial capacity. Besides, the antioxidant capacity of APB was also recorded through the DPPH free radical scavenging ability of 11,599 µg/mL and H2O2 of 14.33 µg/mL, respectively. Sensory evaluation results recorded positive feedback on odor (4.2/5) and acceptability (4/5). In summary, APB products have nutritional value and organoleptic characteristics that are suitable for the consideration of large-scale production expansion in the future.