Plum (Prunus salicina L.) is an important and widely cultivated temperate fruit crop having attractive color and flavor. There are over 2000 cultivars of plums available throughout the world. It is a highly perishable fruit with a shelf life of 3-4 days at ambient temperature and 1-2 weeks in the cold storage.
Production of alcoholic beverages from plum could increase the utilization of fruit. Sparkling wine seems to have a good potential to be a profitable outlet. It has proved its potential for preparation of alcoholic beverages including wine and vermouth.
In the winemaking process, different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as non Saccharomyces yeast genera, transform sugars to ethanol, CO2 and numerous fermentation by-products.
The main steps of the fruit wines technology include the following: fresh or frozen fruit reception; fruit must extraction and preparation by crushing, pressing, clarifying, and amending; fruit must fermentation; conditioning and conservation; and aging.
Plums contain a large amount of different phenolic compounds, mostly in the skin, and these are the main compounds responsible for the color and taste of plum wine.
Plum wine
