The Composition of Jerusalem Artichoke ( Helianthus tuberosus L. ) Spirits Obtained from Fermentation with Bacteria and Yeasts

Abstract The composition of spirits distilled from fermentation of Jerusalem artichoke ( Helianthus tuberosus L.) tubers was compared by means of gas chromatography. The microorganisms used in the fermentation processes were the bacterium Zymomonas mobilis , strains 3881 and 3883, the distillery yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae , strains Bc16a and D 2 and the Kluyveromyces fragilis yeast with an active inulinase. The fermentation of mashed tubers was conducted using a single culture of the distillery yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the bacterium Zymomonas mobilis (after acid or enzymatic hydrolysis) as well as Kluyveromyces fragilis (sterilized mashed tubers). The tubers were simultaneously fermented by mixed cultures of the bacterium or the distillery yeast with K. fragilis . The highest ethanol yield was achieved when Z. mobilis  3881 with a yeast demonstrating inulinase activity was applied. The yield reached 94 % of the theoretical value. It was found that the distillates resulting from the fermentation of mixed cultures were characterized by a relatively lower amount of by‐products compared to the distillates resulting from the single species process. Ester production of 0.30–2.93 g/L, responsible for the aromatic quality of the spirits, was noticed when K. fragilis was applied for ethanol fermentation both in a single culture process and also in the mixed fermentation with the bacterium. Yeast applied in this study caused the formation of higher alcohols to concentrations of 7.04 g/L much greater than those obtained with the bacterium. The concentrations of compounds other than ethanol obtained from Jerusalem artichoke mashed tubers, which were fermented by Z. mobilis , were lower than those achieved for yeasts.