Abstract

Juice was extracted from dark red cultivar of Roselle calyx (Hibiscus sabdariffa) using water at a temperature of 100°C for 20 min in an automatic steam-jacket kettle. The juice was treated with 250 ppm. of sodium metabisulphite and sucrose was added to raise the sugar content of the juice. Pure wine yeast strain (Saccharomyces cervisiae) was inoculated into the juice to initiate fermentation. The resultant wine (9.06% v/v alcohol) was left to age for four months to allow for the development of the characteristic flavor and bouquet associated with wine. During fermentation, physico-chemical analysis of the wines indicated decrease in specific gravity, soluble solids, pH and colour intensity. Sensory evaluation of the aged roselle wine in terms of colour, flavor, taste and overall acceptability showed no significant difference compared to commercial wine samples. From the present study, it was observed that acceptable red table wine of good quality can be produced from Roselle calyx and its industrial potential should be exploited.

Key words: Red wine, alcohol, color, Hibiscus sabdariffa.