Enhancing fruit spirit quality: Novel approaches to mash acidification techniques

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of various mash acidification techniques in alcoholic fermentation for the production of apple spirit. Lachancea thermotolerans and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains were selected to conduct pre-fermentative acidification of the mash alongside a conventional chemical acidification approach. The results confirm that L. thermotolerans and L. plantarum possess acidifying potential and can serve as effective biotools for the protection of apple mash during fermentation. Through their outstanding lactic acid production (1.05–1.26 g L−1), they were able to reduce the pH of the mash by 0.29–0.40 pH units. Moreover, the sequential fermentation of these strains with Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a powerful strategy to modulate the aroma profile of apple spirits. Spirits were characterised by an enhanced ester profile with particularly increased ethyl lactate concentrations.