Production of Mixed Fruit Wine Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae from Palm Wine

This study aimed to produce mixed fruit wine from watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris L.), apple (Malus domes-tica), banana (Musa acuminata), and avocado (Persea americana) using Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolatedfrom palm wine. Fruits were sourced from Oba Market, Edo State, Nigeria, and fresh palm wine was obtainedfrom Aruogba community for yeast isolation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was identified, cultured on potatodextrose agar (PDA), and used to initiate must fermentation with palm wine sediments. A yeast starterculture was prepared, followed by primary fermentation and racking into secondary fermentation for 21 days.Bentonite was used for clarification, and proximate and physicochemical analyses were performed. Resultsindicated the highest heterotrophic fungi count (64 CFU/ml) in Palm Wine 3 and the lowest (12 CFU/ml) inPalm Wine 2. The total heterotrophic bacterial count was highest in Fruit Blend 2 (40 CFU/ml) and lowestin Fruit Blends 1, 3, and 4 (20 CFU/ml). Proximate analysis showed watermelon with the highest moisturecontent (95.11%), avocado with the highest ash content (0.65%), and fat content ranging from 0.13–4.17%,with mixed fruit wine at 1.01%. Protein content was highest in bananas, with mixed fruit wine recording4.78%. Nutrient analysis revealed elevated levels of sodium, potassium, zinc, manganese, and iron in themixed fruit wine. Sensory evaluation indicated Wine 3 as the most preferred, achieving a 100% flavour score,underscoring the influence of fruit combinations on acceptability. These findings suggest that mixed fruitwine formulation can be optimized for enhanced sensory appeal and nutritional quality, with potential forfurther research into specific fruit proportions to improve production outcomes.