Inoculated fermentation of orange juice (Citrus sinensis L.) for production of a citric fruit spirit

摘要

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae UFLA CA1174 was evaluated for its potential to produce an orange spirit, as a possible alternative to reduce waste and increase income to citrus farmers. The sugar concentration of the orange juice was adjusted to 16-Brix and the pH to 4.5. The orange juice was inoculated at approximately 7 log CFU/mL, and the fermentation was performed at room temperature until °Brix stabilization. The yeast used showed high values for the conversion factors of the substrates into ethanol (Y_(p/s), 0.50 g/g), the volumetric productivity of ethanol (Q_p 1.78 g/L/h), the biomass productivity (P_x 58.47 g/g) and the fermentation efficiency (E_t 97.83%). The sugars were converted quickly, and a high ethanol concentration (58.13 g/L) was achieved after 24 h of fermentation. The orange wine was distilled in a copper alembic and the head, heart and tail fractions were collected. The orange spirit produced (heart fraction) had high concentrations of acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, isoamyl alcohol and 2-phenylethanol. The results showed that orange juice could be a good substrate for fermentation and distillation, and the sensory analysis performed revealed that the produced beverage had good acceptance by the tasters.