Effect of Heat Treatment on the Physicochemical Properties of Wine and Alcohol Derived from Persimmon

The study is focused on cultivar persimmon fruits (Diospyros kaki L.) of “Khachia” variety, which is characterized by high sugar concentration, rendering it a viable candidate for the production of alcoholic beverages. During the wine material preparation phase, persimmons were meticulously sectioned into fragments measuring between 0.8 and 1.2 cm. Subsequent to this partitioning, citric acid at a concentration of 5 g/l was added and a pure strain of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae yeast was added representing 4% of the total volume of the mixture. This mixture was then subjected to heat treatment under various conditions. The experimental outcomes demonstrated that macerated persimmon pulp, after being subjected to a thermal hold at 80°C for a duration of 20 minutes and subsequently cooled to 24°C, facilitated the initiation of alcoholic fermentation in the extracted juice (referred to as 'persimmon sweet'). This enhancement in fermentability can be attributed to the observed reduction in pectin and tannin levels, as well as a decrease in the viscosity of the liquid phase. Moreover, a significant increase in juice yield was recorded, rising from 40.50% in the unprocessed state to 63.40% post-treatment. The wine substrate produced exhibited favourable attributes, including reduced levels of soluble solids (3.52%), sugars (0.20%), and volatile acidity (0.24%). The persimmon-derived alcohol contained only negligible concentrations of methanol. The study ascertained that to achieve alcohol with optimal quality parameters from persimmon fruits, preliminary treatment protocol is essential. This protocol necessitates a sequence of operations: mechanical maceration, thermal application, holding period and subsequent cooling. © 2024 Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci.