Effects of Honey Variety and Non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the Flavor Volatiles of Mead

摘要

This study examined the effects of honey varieties and non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Torulaspora delbrueckii and Kluyveromyces thermotolerans) on the flavor volatiles of mead. Five different types of mead were prepared from the honey varieties: vitex, acacia, linden, multifloral, and jujube. Among them, multifloral mead had the highest alcohol content, and acacia mead had the highest ester and acid content. As for the effect of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, vitex mead fermented with EC1118 exhibited the highest volatile-compound content, T. delbrueckii had the highest alcohol content (especially isopentanol and alpha-phenylethyl alcohol), and K. thermotolerans had the highest ethyl acetate and n-decanoic acid content. EC1118 had different effects on the flavor-volatile content of the two non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermented meads. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) and sensory analysis revealed considerable differences among the aroma components of the mead, which confirmed major differences among the aroma substances detected in this study.