Effects of Different Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the Quality of Compound Fruit Wine of Aronia melanocarpa

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of raw materials such as Aronia melanocarpa juice/pulp, apples and pears (2:1:1) as well as different yeasts (CECA, F15, EC1118, 71B and 2323) on the physicochemical characteristics and sensory quality of Aronia melanocarpa compound wine through methods including high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and artificial sensory evaluation. There were differences in the basic physicochemical properties of the compound wines obtained by fermentation using the juice of Aronia melanocarpa, apples and pears (combination A) and the fruits of Aronia melanocarpa, apples and pears (combination B). In the compound wine of combination A, the alcohol content of the CECA group was significantly higher than that in the other yeast groups (P<0.05). In the combination B group, the alcohol content of EC1118 group was significantly higher (P<0.05). The total phenolic content of the compound wine fermented with combination B and CECA yeast was significantly the highest (P<0.05). The compound wine of combination B and EC1118 had significantly the highest contents of total anthocyanins and condensed tannins (P<0.05). Proportions of the contents of organic acids such as malic acid and oxalic acid in the wines of different material combinations showed relatively large differences. Among the two combinations, the total amount of organic acids in the fruit wine fermented by CECA was the highest. Among the 17 monomeric phenols, procyanidin B1 was the substance with the significantly highest content in the fruit wine of the combination A (with an average content of 135.88 mg/L), while gentisic acid had the significantly highest content in the fruit wine of combination B (with an average content of 416.27 mg/L). A higher antioxidant capacity characterized by DPPH and FRAP was observed in the wine of combination B compared with that of combination A. Forty-five and forty-nine volatile compounds were detected in the combination A and B respectively, mainly esters. Ethyl octanoate, isoamyl acetate and ethyl decanoate were the main ester substances. The results of sensory evaluation showed that the wine of combination B was superior to that of combination A in terms of the purity, intensity and quality of aroma. In general, higher alcohol content and phenolic content, along with better sensory quality, were observed in the compound wine of combination B, which used fruits as the main raw materials, compared with combination A. Relatively good fermentation effects and wine quality were achieved when CECA and EC1118 yeasts were used in the fermentation of Aronia melanocarpa compound wine.