Production of Table Wine from Processed Tea Bags Using Different Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Wine samples were produced from locally available tea infusions (Lipton tea, Top tea and Highland tea) using baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae By1) and yeast cultures from pineapple (S. cerevisiae Py6) and cocoa (S. cerevisiae CY43). Physicochemical analyses and microbial evaluation were undertaken during fermentation. Lipton tea wine produced,using baker’s yeast, pineapple yeast and cocoa yeast had highest alcoholic contents of 7.88%, 6.25% and 7.20%, respectively. Top tea wine produced using the same set of yeasts had highest alcoholic contents of 9.78%, 5.43 and 8.15% respectively, while Highland tea wine produced highest alcoholic contents of 9.78%, 7.07% and 7.61% respectively.  Physicochemical analyses for all the wines produced showed that the specific gravity, total solids and pH of the must decreased as fermentation progressed while the titratable acidity remained constant throughout the must fermentation. Colony counts showed a high biomass of yeast cells that decreased as it tended towards the end of fermentation. Sensory analysis of the wines showed that Lipton and Top tea are the most acceptable organoleptically when compared with the commercial wine used as control although the three tested teas were not significantly different statistically. Baker’s yeast was rated as the best yeast for wine fermentation irrespective of the type of tea used. All the wines produced were generally accepted as they were scored above average. This study highlights the potential of using different tea infusions as alternatives to grape and other fruit musts in wine making. It also confirms that commercial yeasts such as baker’s yeast can be used in homemade wine production.Keywords: Wine production, Table wine, beverage, tea bags, Saccharomyces cerevisiae