Utilization of pomegranate and wild apricot for production of pumpkin based functional wine

Abstract

newline x newlineABSTRACT newlinePumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) is one of the important tropical vegetable cultivated all over the world. It is an excellent source of many natural polyphenolic compounds such as and#945;, and#946; carotenes, cryptoxanthins and zeaxanthin. Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a commercially important fruit which is cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. It is a rich source of anthocyanins, vitamin C and antioxidants. However, wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is found growing wild in the Western Himalayan region and is a rich source of antioxidants, especially flavonoids and carotenoids and still remains underutilized with low economic value. In the present investigations, technology was standardized for the production of wine using a nongrape source i.e. pumpkin. The pulps of pumpkin, pomegranate and wild apricot were blended in different ratios (T1 60:20:20, T2 50:25:25 and T3 40:30:30) to utilize pumpkin as a substrate along with pomegranate and wild apricot as acidulants. The must was prepared by ameliorating different concentrations of pulp with sugar to 24and#730;B, using different concentrations of diammonium hydrogen phosphate (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 %) as a nitrogen source and So2 (100 ppm) as a preservative in all the treatments. The fermentation was carried out at 28oC using different inoculums concentrations (2.5, 5 and 7.5 %) of the starter culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus. Among all the treatments, on the basis of physicochemical and sensory qualities the wine prepared by blending different pulps in the ratio of 60:20:20, adding 0.1% diammonium hydrogen phosphate and fermented with 5% inoculum of the starter culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus was rated as the best. The particular treatment was further selected to study the effect of different initial sugar concentrations and different yeast cultures. The pumpkin, pomegranate and wild apricot pulps were blended in the ratio of 60:20:20 and must was prepared by using different concentrations of sugars (22and#730;B, 24and#730;B and 26and#730;B), adding 0.1 percent diammonium hydrogen phosphate and So2 (100 ppm) constant in all the treatments. The musts of different treatments were fermented using different activated yeast cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Torulaspora delbrueckii, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii individually, and in combinations of all at the rate of 5 per cent and fermentation was carried out at 28and#730;C. Among all the treatments, on the basis of physicochemical and sensory qualities the wine prepared with 24and#730;B initial sugar newlinexi newlineconcentration and fermented with a mixed culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Torulaspora delbrueckii, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii at a rate of 5 percent was adjusted as the best. Further, the maturation was carried out for nine months with three different wood chips, i.e. Quercus leucotrichophora, Bombax ceiba and Acacia spp. On the basis of physicochemical and sensory qualities, the wine matured with wood chips of Quercus leucotrichophora was rated as the best. Cost of production of pumpkin based functional wine is cheaper in comparison to wines available in the market. Hence, it can be concluded that pumpkin as the main substrate with pomegranate and wild apricot holds promise for the production of quality wine. The wine developed under the study would also add a new category in the list of wines already available in the market besides utilization of pumpkin and wild apricot. Indirectly, if the technology will be commercialized it will increase the income of farmers by providing the best prices for their wild crop and pumpkin. newlineKey words: Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), Pomegranate (Punica granatum), wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), fermentation, wine, Quercus leucotrichophora. Bombax ceiba and Acacia spp.