Juice was extracted from banana (Musa sapientum) pulp with the addition of lemon juice and was inoculated with Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and held at 30 for seven days. The result of the yeast count increases at 48hr, and at 96hr the yeast count decreased gradually. It ranges from 4.9x10⁷ cfu/ml at 0hr, 5.1x10⁷at the 48hr and 4.8x10⁷ cfu/ml at 168hr. The pH of the Banana wine produced at the end of fermentation decreased (2.85) while the titrable acidity of the Banana wine produced increased. The total dissolved solids, total suspended solids decreased with increasing length of fermentation of juice. The alcohol content of the wine increased with 14%. The result obtained from the sensory evaluation by ten panelist shows overall acceptance of the wine produced.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Wine is a product of alcoholic fermentation by yeast of the juice of ripe grapes or any fruit with a good proportion of sugar (Brook and Madigan, 2003; Okafor, 2007). Wine is one of the most recognizable high value added products from fruits. It can also be used as a substrate for the manufacture of vinegar, a by-product of wine manufacture.

Wine manufacture is challenging in which marketable product can be obtained, but the processes involved in its production are relatively straight forward (Amerine et al.1980).

Highly acceptable wines can be made from practically all fruits. Wine can be fermented with yeast that occurs naturally in grape and in other countries where grape is not produced, emphasis is usually placed on other fruits for wine making. There are some soft fruits from both temperate and tropical regions whose pigment stability and flavor profiles match those of any wine from grapes, but suffer from the lack of intensive research and development given to grape wine.

Reports on tropical fruit wines have been mainly on exotic species such as banana, pineapple, citrus, mango, pawpaw, apple, strawberries e.t.c (Maldonado et al. 1975). Wine represents a safe and healthful beverage; it also provides calories and vitamins. During period when life was often strenuous, it offered relaxation and relief from pains.

Bananas (Musa sapientum) are an important staple starchy food in Nigeria. It is a seasonal and highly perishable fruit, which can be available all year round. The large quantity of bananas and plantains provides the potential for industrial use (FAO 2003). In addition, any application to produce a marketable, value-added product will improve banana farming economies and eliminate the large environmental problem presented by banana waste. Banana could then compete in the market, either as banana juice or as mixtures with other juices because of its flavor and aroma (Lee et al. 2006).

Bananas has a lot of nutritional benefits, thus demands in the market are high. They are highly recommended by doctors for patients whose potassium is low, because of its impressive potassium content. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart beat and blood pressure, countering bad effects of sodium. Banana is considered as an important food to boost the health of malnourished children, it contains good amount of soluble dietary fiber that helps normal bowel movements; thereby reducing constipation problems. Medicinal uses of banana have positive contribution towards successful treatment of anemia, heartburn, temperature control, ulcer, overweight e.t.c.

Banana juice can also be applied to wine production; however, banana juice is turbid, gray in color, very viscous, tends to settle during storage and, therefore must be clarified prior to commercialization (Lee et al.2006). The turbidity and viscosity of banana wine are caused mainly by the polysaccharides in banana juice such as pectin and starch and therefore make the clarification process harder. Application of pectinase and -amylases that affect the quality of wine is important for improving the process of banana wine production.