Vacuum concentration of pear juice for improving wine quality

In this study, the initial Brix level of pear juice was increased by the vacuum concentration method, and the pear wine was produced by the concentrated pear juice. The results exhibited that increasing the initial Brix level not only increased the alcohol concentration of pear wine (from 7.0% ABV to 15.0% ABV) but also improved the appearance, taste, and aroma. During fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was capable of partially utilizing the sorbitol present in pear juice. At initial Brix levels of 20° ∼ 35°, fructose, glucose, and sucrose in pear juice were completely utilized by Saccharomyces cerevisiae . The initial Brix level additionally exhibited a significant influence on the antioxidant capacity and antioxidant compounds of pear wine. The antioxidant capacities of pear wine were higher than those of pear juice at the 35° and 40° Brix levels, and 5 new antioxidant compounds were detected in pear wine. Based on sensory evaluation, the optimal Brix level of concentrated pear juice was 35°, which could produce the best quality of pear wine with the highest total score (75.76). The findings of this study are very meaningful, and it provides a new approach to producing higher-quality pear wine.