Alcoholic Beverages from Excess Biomass of Date Production

Project number: 
22078
Sponsor: 
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Academic year: 
2021-2022
The Bard Valley Natural Delight date company produces around 30 million pounds of dates each year. However, date production also generates excess biomass that gets thrown away. The company wanted an economical use of these dates that would otherwise go to waste.

Fruit wine has been made since the beginning of civilization, and today it is a growing market. The team designed a process for fruit wine that starts with both pureed and whole dates. Tartaric acid and ICV Okay yeast were added to a fermentation keg to begin the alcohol production. The chemical process uses the yeast to break down sugar, producing ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. After the fermentation has ended with the desired alcohol by volume (ABV), the wine is strained and cooled with a chilling coil. The final product is a dessert wine with 15% to 20% ABV.

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