Comparative evaluation of physicochemical and sensory properties of commercial wines and mixed-fruit wine fermented with indigenous stress-tolerant yeast

Abstract

The use of indigenous yeast strains and underutilized fruits offers a sustainable pathway for local wine industry development. This study aimed to produce and comparatively analyze mixed-fruit wine from watermelon and pineapple using a previously isolated indigenous stress-tolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y-03, benchmarked against commercial wines. A 50:50 (v/v) watermelon-pineapple must was fermented with strain Y-03 over 28 days. Fermentation kinetics were monitored weekly for pH, reducing sugar, titratable acidity, specific gravity, °Brix, and estimated alcohol content. The final wine was evaluated for physicochemical properties and sensory attributes including appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel and overall acceptability, assessed by a 20-member panel against two unnamed commercial wines. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance at p<0.05. Results showed successful fermentation, with pH decreasing from 4.50 to 3.75, reducing sugar from 125.4 g/L to 9.8 g/L, and specific gravity declining, while titratable acidity and alcohol content increased to 11.5% v/v. The physicochemical profile of the final wine was comparable to commercial benchmarks. Sensory evaluation revealed high ratings for appearance (8.2 ± 0.9) and aroma/flavour (7.6 ± 1.1), attributed to desirable volatile esters, while taste (7.3 ± 1.3) was slightly lower due to perceptible acidity. Overall acceptability (7.7 ± 0.9) exceeded one commercial wine and was competitive with the second. Thus, the indigenous stress-tolerant strain Y-03 effectively produced a high-quality mixed-fruit wine with distinct sensory appeal, demonstrating the feasibility of valorizing local microbial resources and agricultural produce into competitive products.