Production and Comprehensive Characterization of Banana Fruit Wine Using Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Bananas (Musa spp.) are a globally cultivated fruit valued for their flavor and rich nutritional content (high in sugars, potassium and B-vitamins). Because ripe bananas are highly perishable, converting excess or overripe bananas into wine can reduce waste and add value. Fruit wines are produced by fermenting fruit juices with yeast, turning sugars into ethanol, carbon dioxide and minor by-products that give wine its aroma and preserve it. In particular, the high sugar/carbohydrate content of banana makes it an excellent substrate for fermentation. Thus banana wine production has emerged as an attractive alternative to grape wine in regions where grapes are scarce: it harnesses surplus fruit, yields a vitamin-rich beverage, and extends shelf life through fermentation. In this study, ripe banana pulp was cleaned, mashed and blended with water, sugar and lemon juice, then inoculated with baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and fermented anaerobically for about six days. Fermentation progress was monitored by measuring pH, titratable acidity, specific gravity, total dissolved solids (TDS) and ethanol content at regular intervals. These analytical assays are standard for fruit wine characterization. The yeast consumes banana sugars to produce ethanol and COsub2/sub; as fermentation proceeded we observed vigorous bubbling (COsub2/sub release) and viscosity reduction, as expected for Saccharomyces fermentation. The fermenting banana must showed the typical trends of wine fermentation. The pH fell markedly (from about 5.0 initially to ~2.0 by the end), reflecting increased organic acid production, while titratable acidity rose to ~1.6 g/100 mL (as lactic/acetic acid equivalents). Specific gravity declined (from ~0.983 to ~0.982), indicating sugar depletion and ethanol formation. Correspondingly, ethanol content increased steadily and reached about 14% v/v by day six. Observed ethanol rising to ~15% as pH dropped into the low-3 range during fruit fermentation. A clear, amber banana wine was obtained after racking; it exhibited the characteristic aroma and flavor of banana and acceptable clarity.