Using Torulaspora delbrueckii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces bayanus wine yeasts as starter cultures for fermentation and quality improvement of mead

Wine yeast strains Torulaspora delbrueckii, Saccharomyces bayanus and an osmo-ethanol tolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain isolated in a Pedro Ximenez grape must have been used as starter cultures for mead production without addition of nitrogen assimilable sources. Significant differences on the fermentation kinetics, major volatile compound (MVC) contents and in organoleptic properties (OP) were obtained. A Multivariate Analysis (MVA) carried out with the contents in the six key compounds, acetaldehyde, 1-propanol, isobutanol, acetoin, 2,3-butanediol (levo) and diethyl succinate, allows to obtain a chemical profile or fingerprint very useful to differentiate each mead. By subjecting these MVC to a principal component analysis, two PCs were obtained that explain the 85.3% of variance and group the meads according the yeast used. Meads obtained with T. delbrueckii have a low ethanol, high residual sugar content and preserve the primary aroma of honey. It was concluded from a sensorial evaluation that the most suitable yeast that produces the sweet type of multifloral honey mead is T. delbrueckii, while S. bayanus is suitable for dry meads.