Preparation of fermentable lingonberry juice through removal of benzoic acid by Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast

Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) is a commercially important wild, uncultivated berry in northern regions of the world. It contains high amounts of benzoic acid, which contributes to the acidity of the berry and, as a microbisidic compound, prevents fermentation of lingonberry juice. Therefore a method was. developed utilizing the pH-dependent ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to remove benzoic acid from solutions. By suspending 15-20% (w/w) of the yeast for 10 min in undiluted lingonberry juice, benzoic acid concentration was reduced by 75-91%, titratable acids by about 14% and pH raised by 0.1 units. The resulting undiluted juice was readily fermented with a new yeast inoculum. Applicability of the method for benzoic acid removal from other food material is discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.