https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.61.02.23.7622

Supplement

How Do Different Ingredients and Additives Affect the Production Steps and the Bioactive Potential of Mead?

Larissa Simão, Bruna Rafaela da Silva Monteiro Wanderley, Michelly Pontes Tavares Vieira, Isabel Cristina da Silva Haas, Renata Dias de Mello Castanho Amboni and Carlise Beddin Fritzen-Freire^*

Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Rod. Admar Gonzaga 1346, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil

Article history:

Received: 22 December 2021

Accepted: 6 March 2023

Keywords:

honey; mead production; phenolic compounds; alcoholic fermentation; fruit beverage; antioxidant

Summary:

Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage that is made from honey diluted in water and commonly with the addition of other ingredients. The chemical characteristics of mead are closely related to the ingredients and additives that are used in its preparation, especially the type of honey, yeast strain and prefermentation nutrients, as well as herbs, spices and/or fruits. These additives can affect not only the fermentation process, in particular the yeast activity, the formation of metabolites and fermentation time, but also the bioactive potential of the mead, which mainly depends on phenolic compounds. Scientific studies have shown that the mead with added different plant species contains considerable amounts of different classes of polyphenols, which have important biological activities. Within this context, this review study seeks to investigate how different ingredients and additives can affect each of the stages of the preparation of mead, as well as its bioactive potential, in order to understand the effects on its chemical composition, and thus add greater commercial value to this beverage.