Abstract:
Mango is one of the most important tropical fruits in Kenya. Increased production has been observed over years paralleled by large postharvest losses which are partly attributed to poor value addition practices. The purpose of this study was to provide an alternative for reducing the level of postharvest losses in mango by producing mango wine. Six mature and unripe mango fruits of Apple, Ngowe, Tommy Atkins, Kent, Vandyke and Sabine varieties were harvested three times from a farm in Katheka Kai division, Machakos County of Kenya. The fruits were stored at 20ºC and 85-90% relative humidity to ripen. The fruits were pulped and subjected to different fermentation conditions (varying inoculums size, temperature) to determine the optimal conditions for fermentation. The wine was analyzed for alcohol content, pH, residual °Bx, volatile acidity, titratable acidity and the major volatile compounds determined by GC-FID. Sensory evaluation and shelf life studies of the wine were also carried out. The highest recovery of juice was found in Kent and Apple (> 71 %) while the lowest was exhibited by Sabine (53%). The extracted juice had a high sugar content ranging from 17.0 - 23.9°Bx. Apple and Ngowe variety exhibited the highest sugar content (> 23°Bx) where as Sabine had the lowest (17°Bx). The optimal conditions for wine fermentation were at 25°C and 0.05% yeast concentration using wine yeast. The sensory evaluation indicated that mango wine exhibited similar sensory characteristics in terms of clarity and general acceptability as compared to a reference grape wine. This study provides evidence that mango fruits are suitable for wine processing.
