Influence of pollen addition on mead elaboration: Physicochemical and sensory characteristics

Mead (honey-wine) results from the alcoholic fermentation of diluted honey using a wine yeast strain. However, mead elaboration can be hampered by several problems, including delayed or arrested fermentation, production of an unpleasant aroma, poor quality and inconsistency of the final product. These difficulties are due to honey’s low nutrient content, its natural antifungal components, and the inability of the yeast strain to adapt to these unfavourable growth conditions. In this study, we evaluated the results of adding pollen at concentrations ranging from 10 to 50 g/l as a fermentation activator to improve the fermentation kinetic and the quality of meads. The effect of pollen addition on the honey must, fermentation kinetics, physicochemical characteristics, aroma profiles and sensorial aspects of the obtained meads were evaluated. The results showed that pollen addition improved fermentation rates, alcohol yields, and the final characteristics of meads. An increase in the volatile contents of the meads and an improved sensory profile was observed with pollen addition; however, this improvement was not correlated with the concentration of pollen. The adequate dose of pollen was determined by the final characteristics and sensory profile of the meads.