Influence of nutrients addition in the fermentation kinetics of Japanese Grape juice by Saccharomyces SP.

The production of a fermented distilled drink from Japanese grape is presented as a good option of income complement to small farmers. The fermentative tests were conducted under different juice dilutions of Japanese grape (30 and 50%), different temperatures (30 and 35 °C), with and without the addition of micronutrients (sources of K+, Mn++). The analyses carried during the fermentative process are related to the concentration of substrate (sugar) and cells, with pH supervision and ethanol production. In accordance with the data obtained, it was verified a considerable microbial growth for the test with 2.5g of yeast, 30% of juice diluted in water at 30 °C and with potassium addition as micronutrient, suggesting that the same is capable of metabolize the sugars that are present in the broth converting it into biomass and secondary metabolites, even in low concentrations. So the use of Japanese grape (Hovenia dulcis) can be suggested as carbon and nutrients source for fermentative processes using Saccharomyces cerevisiae commercial strains, under moderate conditions of operation, for the production of ethanol or other metabolites with possible commercial interest.