Production of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) wine using different Saccharomyces strains and study of physicochemical and sensorial characteristics.

The present study investigated the effect of different wine strains and inoculum size on the physicochemical, bioactive, and sensorial attributes of wine prepared from beetroot with varying TSS content (18 and 20°Brix) and inoculum sizes (5% (v/v) and 10% (v/v)). The beetroot wine produced by fermenting the must for 0-14 days and standard protocols adopted to analyze the wine properties. It was noticed that the acidity of wine increased and pH was found to be decreased as the fermentation days increased. In addition, alcohol content was significantly enhanced (> 10% by volume) in T5, which was higher than the other trials. In general, results of sensory and physicochemical analysis of different trials showed that T5 (TSS 18°Brix and inoculum size of 5% (v/v)) produced the wine of acceptable quality using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The color properties revealed that the L* value increased as fermentation progressed. Wine prepared from T5 possessed TSS of 6.55°Brix, 3.96 pH, 0.35% titratable acidity, reducing sugar of 26.75 µg ml-1, 30.03% of DPPH free radical scavenging activity, phenol content (104.20 µg ml-1) and betalain content of 10.85 mg 100 g-1. There were significant differences in the taste, flavor, and overall acceptability of beetroot wines fermented for 14 days. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05136-y. © Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2021.