CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Wine is a beverage made from fermentation of fruits or plants and other components such as sugar, culture, water (centers for disease control and prevention 2021). It is the most ancient and most established fermented product Right from the ancient era, wine is produced traditionally from grapes, berries, apples, etc. which are found mainly in America, Europe, Asia and South Africa, hence the production of wine in countries where these fruits are not grown in large quantities (Wurz, 2019a). It is one of the oldest and most widespread alcoholic beverages consumed in the world. Commercially, wine is produced by yeast fermentation which involves the conversion of sugar to alcohol.  The main components of wine are alcohol, sugars, acids, tannins, minerals, proteins, and other compounds, such as organic acids, volatile compounds, and phenolic compounds (Ailer et al., 2022).

Wine is  considered  a functional fermented  foods that  contain  some  bio active compounds  called polyphenols which are released during the fermentation process. The winemaking process releases many of these bioactive components into aqueous ethanolic solution, thus making them more biologically available for absorption during consumption (Shahidi, 2009).These compounds help prevent cellular damage caused by inflammation and oxidative stress,   like neurological diseases, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, the  health benefits of a wine will depend on the fruit or fruits used. Red wine may protect against heart disease, while white wine may benefit kidney health and protect against Alzheimer’s disease.(Gaharwar et al., n.d.).

 Several researchers have proven that moderate consumption of wine is beneficial to health because of the presence of its antioxidant property (phenolic content). Moderation is the key when it comes to enjoying wine while maintaining a healthy lifestyle the  estimated  amount for men is  2/5-ounce glasses of wine per day  and  glass should be approximately 12% alcohol by volume (ABV), which translates to about 200 calories while  for women1/ 5-ounce glass of wine per day with an ABV of 12%, which amounts to roughly 100 calories(Wurz, 2019b).

The quality of a wine is determined by the interaction of physicochemical properties such as alcoholic strength, residual sugar content, density, and total acidity together with sensory properties such as aroma, flavour, astringency, bitterness, colour, turbidity,   or unpleasant odors. These parameters depend on intrinsic factors such as the type of fruit or variety used, and extrinsic ones including soil, weather and winemaking techniques. The interaction of all of these factors determines a profile of compounds directly involved in the quality of the wines. These qualities are greatly influenced by the raw material from which it derives most of the key compounds of its matrix (Basalekou et al., 2023).

Winemaking from other fruits or food products can be an interesting venture, but it come with some disadvantages (1)Sugar Levels Wine grapes are unique because they can ripen to high sugar levels, making fermentation easier. Other fruits, like pears or berries, don’t naturally have the same sugar content. As a result, winemakers often need to add additional sugar. (2) Acidity: Wine grapes have a natural balance of sugar, acidity, and tannins. Most other fruits lack this balance. (3) Tannins and Structure: Wine grapes have thicker skins and seeds, providing tannins that contribute to wine’s structure. Other fruits may lack these components, affecting the overall mouth feel and aging potential of the wine.( Darko, et al. 2018).  

Given that grapes are expensive and are not cultivated world wide, this limits that the amount of wine produced when wine is produced just from grape fruit most especially in Africa . Fruits produced by  other   trees  can ripen within a very short  time, generating surplus . Many of these  fruits are consumed fresh, but large quantities are wasted during peak and post harvest periods, due to high temperature, humidity fluctuations, improper handling, inadequate storage facilities, inconvenient transport and microbial infections, though  the  food industry uses a variety of preservation and processing, methods to extend the shelf life of fruits to extend their shelf life .Therefore, utilization of ripe fruits or their juices for wines production is considered to be an attractive means of utilizing surplus and over-ripen fruits.

Parchment coffee results from washing the fruit of the coffee tree (also called the coffee cherry) and removing all outer layers except the parchment before drying.

The parchment layer is a natural covering that envelops the coffee bean. When people refer to parchment coffee, they mean the dried beans still encased in this yellowish layer. The parchment layer is a natural covering that envelops the coffee bean. When people refer to parchment coffee, they mean the dried beans still encased in this yellowish layer. Parchment represents  about 5.8% of berry dry weight and is formed by (α-) cellulose (40–49%), hemicellulose (25-32%), lignin (33–35%) and ash (0.5–1%)(Iriondo-DeHond et al., 2019). In wet coffee processing, the parchment is removed after drying and hulling, which allows it to be collected and used separately from other by-products (Esquivel & Jiménez, 2012).

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe),  is a  well-known herbaceous plant, that is   widely used as a flavoring agent and herbal medicine for centuries. Furthermore, the consumption of the ginger rhizome is a typical traditional remedy to relieve common health problems, including pain, inflammation and digestive disorders. As the development of science, the food and health sector, mostly use ginger as functional food and medicine because of its usefulness. Ginger’s role as food and medicine has been recognized as safe, classified in Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the Food Drug and Administration (FDA)(Indiarto et al., 2021).

Ginger wine is often made from a fermented blend of ginger, raisins, sugar, and yeast. It’s a delightful and spicy beverage that can be enjoyed during celebrations or on regular days.(Jangra et al.,2018.).

Honey is a sweet (mostly consisting of monosaccharide’s of fructose and glucose) jelly-like substance made from the nectar of flowers by bees. The high sugar content present in honey predisposes it as a good substrate for yeast fermentation to produce alcohol and carbondioxide gas. Different fermentation technologies have been applied to achieve various degrees of alcoholic honey beverages, popularly called mead (Gupta, et al. 2009) Most of the fermentation  processes undertake a minimum of 21 days to achieve 7.6%–22% alcoholic content  Compared to other fermented foods, alcoholic beverages of honey-fruit, mixtures have mostly been documented in personal blogs, as well as unpublished and scant published studies  Most of the papers available   are on  honey-fruit meads from mixtures of honey with fruits and vegetables such as apple, banana, berry, soya, grape.

1.2 Problem Statement and Justification

Food waste” is defined as “food (including inedible parts) lost from the food supply chain, not including food diverted to material uses such as bio-based products, animal feed, or sent for redistribution” (European food commission) . 

Coffee production generates large amounts of wastes, which represent a severe environmental problem for coffee-producing countries, then their unsafe removal could lead to contamination of water and land (Benitez, et al.2021).Efforts to recycle coffee parchments align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, contributing to goals related to sustainable consumption, clean energy, and clean water and sanitation(Littardi et al., 2020). Thus, developing processes to use coffee parchments in industrial or food production may be the more feasible approach to limiting the environmental and health damage from coffee waste, as these methods are more likely to be implemented in developed countries.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) is commonly called ‘Ale’ or ‘Adrak’ which is an important commercially grown crop for its aromatic rhizomes which are used as a spice, condiment and as a medicine. Ginger has many biological and medicinal properties. It is used in pharmacology because of low toxicity. Ginger is antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti apoptotic, cytotoxic, antiproliferative and antiplatelet activities (  Shukla and Singh, 2007).  Given that   coffee parchment has little or no antioxidants  while ginger has a wild variety of antioxidants the addition of ginger will boost the phytochemical   content of this wine.

Honey is a sweet (mostly consisting of monosaccharide’s of fructose and glucose) jelly-like substance made from the nectar of flowers by bees. The high sugar content present in honey predisposes it as a good substrate for yeast fermentation to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide gas.  Give that the fermentation process in wine  making depends on the sugar content, and coffee parchment and ginger are low in  carbohydrates, the use of honey  is to ensure the fermentation process (Balogu & Towobola, 2017).

1.2.2. Justification

  Wine is widely consumed in Cameroon and other parts of the world mostly during occasions and casual visits for the purpose of entertainment.(WHO, 2018) Non-availability of grapes, the fruit of choice for wine production in the tropics has necessitated the use of alternative fruits/ fruit waste and vegies in the production of wine in Cameroon and other tropical countries. Because of health challenges which increase with advancing age there has been increasing advocacy for consumption of natural products with functional properties to combat rising health problems;, some related to consumption of synthetic food and others from infections. Given the functional properties of ginger, coffee parchment and honey,it is possible that the processing of these 3 products into wine will give a functional product of with nutritional and health benefits while valorizing coffee parchment .

1.3 Research Question

1.3.1: General question

• Can wine be produced from coffee parchments using honey as sugar source ?

1.3.1Specific questions.

• What are the effects of the pre-treatment method of coffee parchment on wine produced using honey.
• What are the effects of different proportions of coffee parchment , ginger and honey on wine?
• What is the degree of acceptability and the sensory properties of wine produced using   Coffee parchments and ginger with honey as sugar source.

1.4. Research Objectives

• General objective

To produce and evaluate the quality of wine from coffee parchments and Ginger using honey as sugar source

• Specific objectives

• To evaluate the effect of coffee parchment pre-treatment methods on wine produced from coffee parchment ginger and honey.
• To evaluate the effects of mixture proportions on wine produced from coffee parchment ginger and honey.
• To evaluate the sensory properties and acceptability of wine produced from coffee parchment and ginger using honey as a sugar source.