Studies on the quality and flavor of ponkan (Citrus poonensis hort.) wines fermented by different yeasts

Ponkan (Citrus poonensis hort.) juice and ponkan pulp were used as raw materials for the production of ponkan wines fermented with six different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that ponkan wines fermented with S. cerevisiae BCRC 22332 and commercial yeast HF-08 had higher alcohol contents (10.70–11.86%), lower contents of residual sugar (0.64–1.14%), lower degrees of browning (OD420 = 0.20–0.34), higher clarity (OD660 = 0.07–0.17), and higher sensory scores (5.15–6.25 points). Flavor analysis revealed that, in addition to the citrus flavor characters of α-pipene, limonene, and α-terpineol, ponkan wine contained the yeast-generated characteristic aromatic components of isoamyl alcohol, phenethyl alcohol, 2,3-butandiol, ethyl acetate, diethyl succinate, isoamyl acetate, ethyl 3-hydroxybutyrate, ethyl caproate, ethyl 4-hydroxybutanoate, ethyl caprylate, phenethyl acetate, ethyl caprate, and ethyl 3-methylbutyl butanedioate. The aromatic components of isobutyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, diethyl succinate, phenethyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, and isoamyl acetate in the ponkan wine fermented with HF-08 were higher in amounts than that fermented with BCRC 22332. In summary, S. cerevisiae HF-08 produced more types of aroma and higher aroma contents.