Different factors affecting Guava (Psidium guajava) wine fermentation

Guava (Psidium guajava) is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Myrtaceae grown for its edible fruits. The fruit is prized for its very pleasant, sub acidic and aromatic nature. Guava possesses favourable nutritional characteristics as a source of phenolic compounds, carotenoids and vitamin C, excellent flavour, aroma and colour. Guava fruits are fresh during the harvesting season but perishable under the prevailing conditions of temperature and humidity as well as lack of adequate storage facilities. An alternative way of preserving surplus guava could be to ferment the juice to fruit wine. Therefore we explored a wine fermentation from guava by focusing on the effect of different parameters such as pectinase concentration and time of treatment for juice extraction, yeast inculate for wine fermentation, and secondary fermentation to wine quality. Our results proved that 0.20% pectinase was used for juice extraction in 30 minutes, initial soluble dry matter 16Brix, 0.15% sacchromyces cerevisiae was used for the main fermentation at 11.5C, and 3 weeks of aging in dark bottle at 8.5C was applied to get a pleasant guava quality. By preparing guava wine as value added beverage, enhanced returns can be obtained by the growers.