Vinegar Production using <i>Acetobacter aceti</i> Isolated from Over-ripped Bananas

Abstract

The demand for food and food preservatives rises with population growth, and post-harvest fruit losses are widespread in emerging nations, particularly in Nigeria. In order to avoid the usage of chemically produced preservatives, it is essential in today's society to convert waste into vinegar, which can be utilized as an organically created preservative. In essence, vinegar production is a two-phase fermentation process that includes fermentation to alcohol and acetic acid, respectively. In this study, Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was introduced into banana worts with a view to fermenting into alcohol (Ethanol) for 7 days, after which acetic acid bacterium (Acetobacter aceti) isolated from over-ripped bananas was inoculated into the produced alcohol to form vinegar. Analyses carried out on the produced vinegar were done using acetic acid and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) assays, which gave 1.4 – 4% and stretching vibrations at 1283 cm-1, 1640 cm-1, and 3260 cm-1, respectively. The findings in this study have shown that over-ripe bananas, which were previously thought of as waste, can be transformed into very valuable commodities, consequently enhancing human health and facilitating environmental safety. Results showed that over-ripe banana wort is a good raw material appropriate for fermentation- based ethanol production and vinegar manufacturing using ethanol.