Hidromel e melomel de jabuticaba: produção e avaliação de parâmetros de qualidade

Abstract

Mead is a fermented drink made from honey and is considered one of humanity's first alcoholic drinks. The mead market is experiencing considerable global growth, although in Brazil its consumption is restricted to certain audiences. One of the ways to innovate and make the drink more attractive to consumers is through the addition of fruits and/or spices, as already practiced in some countries, to obtain an alcoholic fermented product with high sensorial value. Brazil has a wide diversity of native fruits with unique sensory characteristics, but still underutilized. Thus, the association of honey with fruits in drinks has a high potential for public appreciation. Jabuticaba (Plinia cauliflora) is a typical fruit from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, rich in vitamins and minerals such as iron, potassium and copper, but despite its great commercial potential, it is perishable, which influences its commercial value, as the fruit can be stored for up to three days after harvest. The use of jaboticaba as an ingredient in the development of food products is an alternative for using this fruit, avoiding waste. In this context, the objective of this work was to produce and characterize mead and two melomel formulations through a Completely Randomized Design (DIC) with three treatments (in triplicate), with mead (T1) being the control, melomel made from pulp and jaboticaba peel (T2) and jaboticaba peel melomel (T3). The raw materials (jabuticaba and honey) were characterized physicochemically in terms of total soluble solids (TSS), pH, moisture, ash, titratable acidity (TA), reducing sugars (AR), total sugars (AT), non-reducing sugars in sucrose and for jabuticaba, analysis of total phenolic compounds was also carried out. Analyzes of pH, alcohol content, total titratable acidity, density, sugar content, and total phenolic compounds were carried out on alcoholic beverages. The results obtained were statistically analyzed using the means test compared by the Tukey test (5% probability). The total acidity of the mead was 40 meq/L, below the regulatory limit, and the alcohol content was 3.54°GL, also lower than the standard of 4 to 14°GL. The ash contente was below the minimum required. Sugar concentrations were 153.4 g/L for T1 (mead), and 92.61 g/L for T2 and 90.59 g/L for T3, classifying all as mild. The final pH was between 3.03 and 3.04, within the standards. Jabuticaba peel melomel had the highest concentration of phenolic compounds. The fermentative efficiency was 33.1% for mead, 96.4% for pulp and skin melomel, and 100% for skin melomel. The variation in fermentative efficiency can be attributed to the availability of sugars and the effectiveness of yeast. The study indicates that jaboticaba peel, often considered waste, can be used as an ingredient in fermented drinks, contributing to the reduction of waste and the valorization of the fruit's active compounds. Therefore, it is important to develop research that uses native Brazilian fruits in melomel formulations, in order to stimulate the country's potential to develop innovative products that value regional biodiversity and promote the honey production chain, stimulating the conservation of species and the practice of beekeeping in the country.