Nutritional and Biochemical Analysis of Locally Produced Wine from a Blend of Sugarcane and Sweet Melon

Background and Objective: Two well-known sources of healthy nutrients for humans are sweet melon fruit (Cucumis melo L.) and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). Sweet melons have a limited shelf life and are quite perishable, making them prone to postharvest waste. To preserve or make use of the fruit’s content, turning them into other forms like wine would be beneficial. The study investigated locally produced wine’s nutritional and biochemical content from sweet melon and sugarcane blends. Materials and Methods: Sugarcane and sweet melon were both obtained at the school gate of Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria and processed. The 200 mL of the Cucumis melo L. wine sample used for this project work was fermented using yeast extract in the Microbiology Laboratory at Federal University Wukari, Taraba State. The wine sample was locally prepared and stored in a refrigerator. Proximate composition, mineral composition, physicochemical, phytochemical constituents and amino acid content of the wine were analyzed. Results: The sugarcane-sweet melon wine, according to the results of the physicochemical examination, has an alcohol content of 3.2%, a pH of 4.60 and a temperature of 28.1°C. With a moisture content of 96.73%, ash content of 0.17 %, fat content of 0.5%, total carbohydrate content of 0.07 %, fiber content of 0.3% and protein content of 0.12%, the sugarcane-sweet melon wine was also found to have a high proximate composition. The essential amino acids include; methionine (6.179 μL), phenylalanine (60.055 μL) and leucine (234.281 μL). The nonessential amino acids revealed in the study are; asparagine (82.357 μL), proline (87.365 μL), glutamic acid (225.686 μL), cysteine (52.923 μL) and glutamine (167.338 μL). Conclusion: It can be concluded that tropically available fruit in Nigeria like Cucumis meloL. fruit and the perennial grass sugarcane are suitable for fruit wine production with high nutritional quality and good biochemical standards.