Abstract
In recent years, tropical fruit spirits, particularly those made from soursop, some fruit widely produced in Colombia, have gained popularity due to their exotic character and unique sweet and sour flavours. However, there is a lack of information on the operational conditions of distillation and the volatile compounds following fermentation and distillation at low temperatures. In addition, there is no record of process simulations that provide a comprehensive understanding of the process. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the distillation conditions of soursop ferments, specifically the influence of vacuum pressure and turning speed, in terms of productivity, alcohol content and volatile compounds, together with a simulation of the process using SuperPro Designer software. For this purpose, response surfaces obtained for each variable were used, which allowed studying the effects over each one. The presence of ethanol, methyl butane among others, was also found, highlighting compliance with the regulations for maximum limits of methanol in national regulations, analysed by solid phase microextraction (SPME) and later analysed by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography. Additionally, as an integral part of this study, a process simulation was developed, ranging from pretreatment to packaging, demonstrating the feasibility starting to NPV break point in 649 kg soursop/batch, producing distilled beverages with volatile compounds that add significant value, this thanks to the crucial inclusion of the yeast recovery process. These findings shed light on beverage development from both a quality and economic profitability perspective, providing valuable information for the tropical spirits industry.
