Brazil is a large producer of honey and well recognized on the world stage for exporting high
quality honey. In this context, honey derivatives are a viable way of adding even more value to the
product. Mead is a fermented drink obtained by adding yeast to a mixture of honey and water. In
countries on the European continent it is a very popular drink, and has great unexplored potential in
Brazil. The aim of this work was to produce artisanal mead with two strains of Saccharomyces
yeast, and to characterize its physicochemical requirements and microbiological quality. The
methodology for producing mead from EMBRAPA “Technology for Obtaining Artisanal Sweet
Type Mead” was used in the manufacturing technology, with modifications. And two strains of the
genus Saccharomyces (S. cerevisiae and S. bayanus) were used for fermentation. Among the yeasts
used, the yeast S. bayanus had a slow fermentation when compared to S. cerevisiae, in addition to
producing less alcohol, however the other parameters analyzed: pH, Total Acidity and Soluble
Solids (ºBrix) obtained close values and were of in accordance with the requirements of current
Brazilian legislation. In general, the technology process used in the production of mead proved to
be easy to execute, effective and has good prospects as a way of adding value to honey, achieving
the required quality parameters. Each yeast showed a different behavior in sugar consumption and
alcohol production in the meads produced.
|
