Kwara State University (KWASU) Malete Professor of Industrial and Food Microbiology Sunday Awe suggests using locally available fruits to make wines that are equal to imported ones. In the 11th Inaugural Lecture of the University, Professor Awe suggested Nigeria might save and earn foreign currency by manufacturing wines locally for export instead of importing them. He added: “Nigeria is blessed with sugar-rich fruits in different regions around the country all year round; the revenue-yielding nutrients may be tapped and made available all year round.
If we maximise the potential of our various fruits, we can join the wine production league.
Fruit wines were made from banana, cashew, pawpaw, pineapple, sweet potatoes, date palm fruits, and tomatoes, utilising largely local ingredients. The wine generated contrasted favourably with imported wine (Red wine: Carlo Rossi, Vinted and bottled by Carol Rossi Vineyards, California U.S.A) in toxicological effects, nutritional quality, microbiological quality, acceptance with cashew wine, and Vitamin C content. Due to alcohol’s toxicological effects, wine alcohol should be distilled and used for non-consumption.
Wine can capture nutrients lost owing to lack of storage.
“It is recommended that sorghum grains should be used as a natural substrate for the production of anthocyanin under a five-day solid state fermentation, using Pantoea dispersal strain LMG 2603 to increase the yield of anthocyanin and this will help I
The inaugural lecturer stressed the importance of properly washing fruits and vegetables with salt water to avoid microbial and parasitic infections before consumption and suggested further research to “mea- sure the antioxidant activity of anthocy- anin, exploration of the anti-cancer ef-fect of anthocyanin and the purification of the produced anthocyanin.” He suggested using solar disinfection and storing water in containers to purify and prevent water bore infections.
