Abstract:
Mango is commercially grown in more than 90 countries world wide and is consumed both in fresh or
processed form. In Kenya, its production has greatly increased for the last ten years leading to a 45%
post harvest loss and the main reason being excess fruits in the market during the peak seasons. As a
way of mitigating these losses, mango fruits can be processed into various products. Mango wine is a
potential value added product; however, there is no proper documentation on information regarding
the technological aspects of its production. This study sought to elucidate the scientific and
technological approaches in the production of mango wine through optimization of fermentation
conditions and appropriate selection of yeast and mango varieties produced in Kenya. Six mango
varieties which are abundantly available in the region were screened for their suitability for wine
production. Optimization of the fermentation conditions was carried by optimizing the yeast types,
inoculum sizes and temperatures by use of fermentation kinetics where as, production of higher
alcohols and other volatile compounds during wine fermentation were determined using GC-MC. Effects
of storage and browning index of stored wines were determined as wine intensity. For sensory
evaluation, wines were compared for color, aroma, taste, and general acceptability on a scale of 1 to 10.
It was found that the mango juices were similar to grape juice in terms of sugar and acidity. The sugar
content of must ranged from 17.0 to 23.9°brix with Apple variety giving the highest sugar content
(23.9°brix) followed by Ng’owe (23.1°brix). Kent gave the highest juice yield (72.83%) followed by Apple
(71.34%) and Ng’owe (67.64%) varieties. Fermentation temperature of 25°C and inoculum size of 0.05%
gave the best physicochemical characteristics of the wine. After fermentation, the ethanol
concentration ranged from 8.89–9.47% w/v, the methanol concentration (129.23 mg/l) was slightly
higher than that of grape wines (< 100 mg/l) and other volatile compounds were present in comparable
amounts. Apple and Ng’owe varieties gave the most suitable characteristics for mango wine production.
Fermentation temperature of 25°C and inoculum size of 0.05% were optimal for wine production using
wine yeast. The sensory evaluation showed no significant difference (p=0.05) in the colour, mouth feel,
aroma and general acceptability between mango wine and a reference wine.
