STUDY OF THE OENOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF NARANJILLA FOR GASTRONOMY USES, PACTO-PICHINCHA PROVINCE

The present study sought to provide an economic alternative to the inhabitants of the Pacto parish, as an initiative for production, postharvest optimization and industrialization of the local fruit growing area, also considering the tourist potential of the area, where wine tourism represents an opportunity for the area. The aim was to find the technical viability for the elaboration of wine from naranjilla. The applied research approach was mixed, and an exhaustive literature review was made on the winemaking techniques. The test evaluated number of sugars in the must (18, 21 and 24 degrees Brix), addition of water (4:1) (Ma) and whole must (Mo). Yield, fermentation time, organoleptic properties of the final product (color, smell and flavor) were determined using a 5-point hedonic scale and physicochemical characteristics of wines with better acceptance. Commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used as inoculum. The average yield for Ma was 70.6% w/w and Mo 45.0% w/w, fermentation was observed up to 288 hours. The addition of water adversely affected the taste; however, the general organoleptic evaluation had a weighting between 3 and 4 out of 5 points. Wines with the best acceptance were Mo24 and Ma21, adhering to the requirements of the Ecuadorian Technical Standard for fruit wine, characterized as semi-sweet. It is necessary to work on the improvement and transfer of the established technical process, especially to obtain higher yields, decrease acidity and incorporate new studies with tropical fruits for the benefit of agriculture, gastronomy, tourism and local development.