Optimization of Conditions for the Productions of Mead

Funder

Organizational Unit

Publications

Mead production: effect of nitrogen supplementation on growth, fermentation profile and aroma formation by yeasts in mead fermentation

Publication . Pereira, Ana Paula; Mendes-Ferreira, A.; Oliveira, João Manuel; Estevinho, Leticia M.; Mendes-Faia, Arlete

Mead is an alcoholic beverage, produced since ancient times, resulting from an alcoholic fermentation of diluted honey by yeasts. When it is produced in a traditional manner, mead producers can encounter several problems related to a lack of essential nutrients, such as available nitrogen. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nitrogen addition to honey-must on the fermentation performance of two Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeasts, QA23 and ICV D47, as well as on the mead composition and production of volatile aroma compounds. A portion of honey-must was supplemented with diammonium phosphate (DAP) to achieve the nitrogen concentration required by yeast to complete alcoholic fermentation. The supplementation with DAP reduced the fermentation length to around 7 days, but not all sugars were fully consumed, suggesting that other factors could be interfering with yeast growth. For both yeasts the specific growth rate and final biomass were higher in musts supplemented with DAP. Mead final composition was similar under the two experimental conditions. Analysis of the volatile profile revealed that the concentrations of the volatile fatty acids and volatile phenols were higher in meads supplemented with DAP. The concentrations of ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate and isoamyl acetate were above their perception threshold and were higher in meads supplemented with DAP, which could contribute to the enhancement of the fruity character. This study could be useful for the optimization of mead production and quality improvement.

2015Journal article

Open access

Antioxidant activity of portuguese honey samples: different contribution of the entire honey and phenolic extract

Publication . Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Aires, Edmur; Barreira, João C.M.; Estevinho, Leticia M.

The antioxidant activity of Portuguese honeys was evaluated considering the different contribution of entire samples and phenolic extracts. Several chemical and biochemical assays were used to screen the antioxidant properties of entire honeys with different colour intensity and phenolic extracts: reducing power, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging capacity, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation using the b-carotene linoleate model system and the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. The amounts of phenols, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, b-carotene, lycopene and sugars present in the samples were also determined. The highest antioxidant contents and the lowest EC50 values for antioxidant activity were obtained in the dark honey. An analysis of variance was carried out to evaluate the influence of the colour intensity and extraction method in the antioxidant properties and phenolic contents. A discriminant analysis was also performed, giving satisfactory results once the six samples were clustered in six individual groups obtained through the definition of two discriminant analysis dimensions.

2009Journal article

Restricted access

Selecção e caracterização de leveduras para produção de hidromel

Publication . Pereira, Ana Paula; Dias, Teresa; Estevinho, Leticia M.

Anexo

2008Conference object

Open access

Improvement of mead fermentation by honey-must supplementation

Publication . Pereira, Ana Paula; Mendes-Ferreira, Ana; Estevinho, Leticia M.; Mendes-Faia, Arlete

Through honey's fermentation, diverse beverages can be obtained, among which is mead, an alcoholic drink with 8 to 18% of ethanol (v/v). Since honey is a matrix with a low nutrient concentration and other unfavourable growth conditions, several problems are usually encountered, namely delayed or arrested fermentations, unsatisfactory quality parameters and lack of uniformity of the final product, as well as unpleasant sensory properties. In this context, the aim of this work was to optimize mead production through honey-must supplementation with (a) salts, (b) vitamins or (c) salts+vitamins. The effects of the honey-must formulation on the fermentation kinetics, growth profile and physicochemical characteristics of final meads were evaluated. The results showed minor differences in the fermentation profile and time between fermentations with the different formulations. The growth profile was influenced more by the yeast strain than by the supplements added to the honey-must. In general, the honey-must composition did not influence meads' final characteristics, except regarding the SO < inf > 2 < /inf > concentration of the meads produced using the strain QA23. In summary, the addition of salts and/or vitamins to honey-must had no positive effects on the fermentation, growth profile or characteristics of the final products.

2015Journal article

Open access

Influence of sweetness and ethanol content on mead acceptability

Publication . Gomes, Teresa; Dias, Teresa; Cadavez, Vasco; Andrade, João Verdial; Morais, Jorge Sá; Ramalhosa, Elsa; Estevinho, Leticia M.

Mead is a traditional alcoholic beverage obtained by fermenting mead wort; however, its production still remains frequently an empirical exercise. Different meads can be produced, depending on fermentation conditions. Nevertheless, to date few studies have been developed on factors that may influence mead quality. The main objective of this work was to study the influence of sweetness and ethanol content on mead acceptability. Different meads were produced with two sweetness levels (sweet and dry meads) and three ethanol contents (18, 20, 22% (v/v)), adjusted by brandy addition. Afterwards, meads acceptability was evaluated by sensory analysis through a consumers’ panel (n=108) along with chemical analysis by HPLC-RID of glucose, fructose, ethanol, glycerol and acetic acid. The sweet (75 g glucose+fructose/L) and dry (23 g glucose+fructose/L) meads presented glycerol contents equal to 5.10±0.54 and 5.96±0.95 g/L, respectively, that were desirable since glycerol improves mead quality. Low concentrations of acetic acid were determined (0.46±0.08 and 0.57±0.09 g/L), avoiding the vinegar off-character. Concerning sensory analysis, the alcohol content of mead had no effect on the sensory attributes studied, namely, aroma, sweetness, flavour, alcohol feeling and general appreciation. Regarding sweetness, the “sweet meads” were the most appreciated by the consumers (score of 5.4±2.56), whereas the “dry meads” (score of 2.7±2.23) showed low acceptability. In conclusion, this work revealed that sweetness is a sensory key attribute for mead acceptance by the consumers, whereas ethanol content (18 to 22% (v/v)) is not.

2015Journal article

Open access