Studies on Preparation of Custard Apple Vinegar

Custard apple (Annona squamosal )is highly susceptible to spoilage, softens very rapidly during ripening, and becomes squashy and not easy to consume fresh. The custard apple has nearly 24% sugars; it was hypothesized that this can be further processed by fermentation into a valuable product such as vinegar. The present study was carried out to develop vinegar from custard apple and it was compared with market vinegars sample for sensory evaluation. The physiochemical properties of custard apple vinegar were analysed. The custard apple vinegar production process took 30 days and had physiochemical characteristics of 1.019 gm/ml specific gravity, 1 % alcohol content, 5.39% (v/v) acetic acid, 2.0°Brix, and pH of 2.8 which complied with the standard ranges of brewed vinegar after complete fermentation. The sensory evaluation of vinegar samples was done by ten panel members. The overall acceptability of the market vinegar samples were rated as like extremely on the nine point hedonic scale, while custard apple vinegar was rated as like very much on the nine point hedonic scale.