Sensory characteristics of the mead obtained from polyflora honey

Abstract

The aim of this work was to analyze the physico-chemical and sensory properties of mead produced with immobilized cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain QA23, as well as the use of the spontaneous flora of polyflora honey. The mead was made from polyflora honey that was diluted with water to reach 24 °Brix. Once the musts were ready, they were pasteurized at 60 °C for 15 minutes. At the same time, commercial yeast culture was activated at 37 °C for 30 min and then added. The media were incubated at 30 °C; the time taken varied from 16 to 20 days. The concentration of glucose, fructose and ethanol were measured throughout the fermentation process. Polyflora honey collected from the central area of the Republic of Moldova, the harvest of 2023, was used in the study. Mead samples were subjected to sensory characterization by a panel

of 16 semi-trained tasters using a total of 10 sensory attributes: two for appearance (color and turbidity), three for taste (sweet, sour and astringent) and five for aroma (honey, fruit, alcohol, vegetable and chemicals). All results were evaluated based on the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the harmonized methods of the International Honey Commission. The results of the sensory analysis reflect the degree of clarification of the mead produced by the immobilized cells, correlated with the appearance (color), while the mead obtained with spontaneous cells was correlated with the turbidity attribute. The yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae QA23 had a significant effect on the volatile acidity and therefore on the concentration of acetic acid, which were higher in the drink obtained with it. Considering the obtained results are quite promising regarding the sensory properties of the mead and to have a better understanding of the correlation between the volatile composition and the sensory properties, further studies focused on the sensory quality should be carried out.