Fermentative capabilities of Saccharomyces yeast and lactic acid bacteria strains in pure and mixed cultures during Borassus akeassii sap fermentation

Palm wine produced by natural fermentation of Borassus akeassi raw sap exhibits great variability in physicochemical, sensory, and microbiological quality. This study aimed to improve the production process, safety and sensory quality of Borassus akeassii wine. Eight types of wine were produced, seven of which were obtained from a controlled fermentation process for 72 h using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and/or lactic acid bacteria strains previously isolated from palm wine in Burkina Faso. Physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the wines were determined using standard methods while their sensory analysis was carried out on a panel of 24 tasters, including 15 regular consumers from Banfora and 9 naive consumers from Ouagadougou.