Abstract

Banana, a wonderfully sweet fruit with firm and creamy flesh that come prepackaged in a yellow jacket, available for harvest throughout the year consists mainly of sugars and fibers which make it a source of immediate and slightly prolonged energy. When consumed, reduces depression, anemia, blood pressure, stroke risk, heartburns, ulcers, stress, constipation and diarrhea. It confers protection for eyesight, healthy bones, kidney malfunctions, morning sickness, itching and swelling, improves nerve functions as well as help people trying to give up smoking. Fermentation of banana must for 144 h was carried out using recipes A to D. Recipe A contained a mixture of banana must with natural yeast. A was enhanced with granulated sugar to obtain recipe B. Recipe C contained recipe A augmented with granulated sugar and bakers’ yeast while recipe D (control) contained only granulated sugar solution and bakers’ yeast. Wine produced had values that ranged from 31.4 ± 0.29 to 33.2 ± 0.12°C for temperature, 3.38 ± 0.017 to 3.54 ± 0.052 for pH, 0.999 ± 0.0085 to 1.02 ± 0.0058 for specific gravity, 0.586 ± 0.018 to 0.71 ± 0.017 for optical gravity, 1.37 ± 0.075 to 1.383 ± 0.152 for percentage (%) alcohol (v/v), 0.271 versus 0.012 to 1.348 ± 0.072 for percentage (%) titratable acidity, 8.2 ± 0.099 to 9.38 ± 0.283 for total aerobic counts and 3.5 ± 0.5 to 4.75 ± 0.1 for R_f. Malo-lactic fermentation after 48 h was evident. Taste testing showed very little differences in wines from recipes A to C. Statistical analyses of tested parameters at 95% confidence level showed no significant differences. The wine from the control was similar to natural palm wine in taste and characteristics. Wine could thus be produced from banana for immediate consumption, within 48 h, using the recipes A to C.

Key words: Banana, flora, fermentation, sugar, wine, flavor, yeast.