Unique Alcoholic Beverages Derived from Pear and Apple Juice Using Probiotic Yeast

Fermented fruit beverages enriched with probiotic microorganisms are gaining increasing interest due to their potential to combine sensory appeal with functional properties. In this study, apple and pear juices were fermented using Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii and the reference wine strain S. cerevisiae RV002, followed by sweetening with xylitol, erythritol, or stevia. The aim was to evaluate the fermentative performance of the probiotic yeast, the chemical composition of the resulting beverages, and the influence of sweeteners on the results of sensory evaluation. Both yeast strains efficiently produced ethanol within typical ranges for cider and perry. The highest ethanol concentration was observed in apple juice fermented with S. boulardii (49.01 ± 0.60 g/L), while the lowest occurred in pear juice fermented with S. boulardii (41.28 ± 1.00 g/L). Total phenolic content (TPC) decreased after apple juice fermentation but remained largely unchanged in pear juice. Notably, S. boulardii use resulted in the highest post-fermentation TPC value in pear juice (0.34 ± 0.002 g/L), while the lowest value was obtained in apple juice fermented with RV002 strain (0.27 ± 0.005 g/L). Our findings highlight the potential of S. boulardii for producing novel functional alcoholic beverages. Future work should examine long-term probiotic viability and optimise formulations for commercial application.