Inoculated fermentation of orange juice (Citrus sinensis L.) for production of a citric fruit spirit

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae UFLA CA1174 was evaluated for its potential to produce an orange spirit, as a possible alternative to reduce waste and increase income to citrus farmers. The sugar concentration of the orange juice was adjusted to 16Brix and the pH to 4.5. The orange juice was inoculated at approximately 7 log CFU/mL, and the fermentation was performed at room temperature until Brix stabilization. The yeast used showed high values for the conversion factors of the substrates into ethanol (Y 0.50 g/g), the volumetric productivity of ethanol (Q 1.78 g/L/h), the biomass productivity (P 58.47 g/g) and the fermentation efficiency (E 97.83%). The sugars were converted quickly, and a high ethanol concentration (58.13 g/L) was achieved after 24 h of fermentation. The orange wine was distilled in a copper alembic, and the head, heart and tail fractions were collected. The orange spirit produced (heart fraction) had high concentrations of acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, isoamyl alcohol and 2-phenylethanol. The results showed that orange juice could be a good substrate for fermentation and distillation, and the sensory analysis performed revealed that the produced beverage had good acceptance by the tasters. © 2013 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling.