Exploring the potential of wild date palm (Phoenix Sylvestris L. Roxb) fruits for vinegar production in Bangladesh

Abstract

The wild date palm (Phoenix Sylvestris L. Roxb), indigenous to Bangladesh, remains underutilized for creating consumable products. This study explores the potential of wild date palm fruit as a valuable food ingredient by converting its juice into vinegar through a two-step fermentation process. Juices with varying total soluble solids (TSS) concentrations of 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% were subjected to sequential alcoholic and acetic acid fermentation, yielding four vinegar samples (S1, S2, S3, and S4, respectively). During anaerobic fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, results indicated a significant increase in alcohol content and a corresponding decrease in pH (p ≤ 0.05) with rising TSS levels. Subsequent acetic fermentation utilizing Acetobacter species converted the alcohol into acetic acid, with the 25% TSS vinegar demonstrating the highest nutritional value, acidity, residual reducing sugar, alcohol content, and macro minerals (K, Ca, P, Mg, Na) among the samples. Additionally, increased TSS resulted in a significant rise in density and a decrease in electrical conductivity and linear color change (p ≤ 0.05). All vinegar samples exhibited notable total phenolic content and free radical scavenging capacity. This study underscores the potential of wild date palm fruits in producing high-quality vinegar, offering a novel utilization avenue for this indigenous resource.