Abstract

The sugar content and attractive color of the juice obtained from some ecotypes of cactus pear offer a new alternative to get new products in order to utilize this crop. The research objective was to obtain balsamic type vinegar from the cactus pear juice (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) orange, purple and green colored ecotypes. The cactus pear juice was concentrated at 30°Brix and fermented with wine yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), for 3 or 5 days, until it reached 4-5° GL. Afterwards, the resulting "must", was acetified with acetic bacteria through a static and oxidative method. The products obtained were characterized by the color parameters, total and volatile acidity (g/L acetic acid); sugar content (g/L), alcohol degree (°G.L.). Sensory characteristics such as quality and acceptability were judged by 12 judges for quality and 24 for acceptability. The experimental design was completely randomized with 3 treatments and 4 replications. Degrees of acetic acid in the 3 vinegars were within the range of 35-43 g/L. In terms of sweetness, the residual sugar obtained in the treatments was between 21 and 25 g/L, which resulted in the absence of alcohol. According to the analyzed parameters, the vinegars coming from the orange and purple cactus pear were the most accepted. Therefore, it can be concluded that due to its sensory qualities the best vinegar was obtained from purple cactus pear.