SENSORY AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF SOME VARIETIES OF ROMANIAN ARTISANAL MEAD

Abstract

Mead is a honey-based alcoholic beverage with 8 - 18 % alcohol content. Also named honey wine, mead is not so well known among Romanian consumers, even if it is considered among the oldest fermented beverages in the world. It is traditionally produced at home and/or in small meaderies, but still it is difficult to find it commercially. Different varieties of mead can be distinguished based on honey types, honey/water ratio, addition of spices and/or fruits, and the method of preparation, etc. The present study was carried out in order to explore the Romanian consumers’ acceptability regarding the artisanal meads obtained using different types of honey from local producers (linden, multifloral, raspberry, wild forest, and acacia). It is well-known that the type of honey plays a significant role in the sensorial evaluation of mead. For this purpose, six samples of mead were prepared in the laboratory. The sensory characteristics, such as aspect, flavor, color, and taste were analyzed. The results revealed that the sample obtained from acacia honey using elderflower as additional ingredient is better accepted by the Romanian consumers than other types of mead

Keywords

• acceptability
• fermentation
• honey
• mead
• physicochemical parameters
• sensory evaluation