Influence of maturation on the nutrient retention and sensory evaluation of fermented beverages developed from blood fruit (Haematocarpus validus) and aonla (Emblica officinalis)

Perishability is a major problem in highly nutritional fruits like aonla and blood fruit and moreover, the fresh consumption of these fruits is less for which consumption as fermented beverages is a right choice. Therefore, investigation was conducted at the Horticulture department laboratory, North-Eastern Hills University, Tura Campus, Meghalaya during 2019-20 with a view to analyze the nutritional characteristics and sensory parameters during aging process of fermented beverage. The experiment was carried out by blending different proportions of blood fruit and aonla with two sugar sources(palm and cane jaggery) and laid out in factorial completely randomized design with three replications and 11 treatments. From the investigation, it was observed that there was decrease in TSS, total sugar, anthocyanin and b-carotene, while ethyl alcohol, titratable acidity and sensory evaluation score increased after six months of storage in ambient temperature. Maximum ethyl alcohol and sensory score were observed by blending blood fruit: aonla (70:30%) with 20°B palm jaggery, maximum anthocyanin in 100% blood fruit with 20°B cane jaggery, maximum b-carotene in 100% aonla with 20°B palm jaggery, highest ascorbic acid and titratable acidity in 100% aonla with 20°B palm jaggery. At the end of aging, the wine prepared using cane jaggery had better retention of anthocyanin and b-carotene than fermented beverages prepared using palm jaggery. From the present study, it can be concluded that blood fruit and aonla can be used for production of rich extremely palatable fermented beverages using palm and cane jaggery, thus, provide an avenue to preserve nutrients and vitamins of the fruits during peak season and add variety to the drinks.