Dados do Trabalho

Título

FERMENTATION CAPACITY OF SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE UNDER DIFERENT TEMPERATURE AND NUTRICIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION CONDITIONS IN THE PRODUCTION OF SOFT MEAD

Introdução

Mead is a traditional fermented beverage created by diluting honey in drinking water and fermenting it. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the most commonly used yeast strain in the industrial production of alcoholic beverages due to its reliable fermentation performance. This study evaluated the fermentation capacity of S. cerevisiae under different temperature conditions (18 to 30 ºC) and nutritional supplementation (25 g/L of ammonia combined with B vitamins) in the production of soft mead. By understanding these variables, producers can optimize fermentation efficiency and product quality.

Material e Métodos

Four treatments were conducted: with and without nutrient addition at 18 ºC and 30 ºC. The data were analyzed using Statistica 7® software, with analysis of variance (ANOVA) conducted at a significance level of 5%.

Resultados e Discussão

The yeast concentration in the samples without nutrient addition was 28.51a .106 cells/mL, 12.2 ºBrix, and an alcohol content of 10.1a±0.02% v/v at 18 ºC, and 26.19a .106 cells/mL, 15 ºBrix, and an alcohol content of 10.5a±0.05% v/v at 30 ºC. In the samples with nutrient supplementation, the values were 35.24a .106 cells/mL, 14.6 ºBrix, and an alcohol content of 9.6a±0.1% v/v at 18 ºC, and 30.83a .106 cells/mL, 12 ºBrix, and an alcohol content of 10.3a±0.15% v/v at 30 ºC. Without supplementation, fermentation at 30 ºC resulted in a higher alcohol content due to greater yeast metabolic activity, despite the lower cell concentration, possibly due to thermal stress. With supplementation, there was a significant increase in yeast concentration, especially at 18 ºC, suggesting that nutrient addition is more effective at lower temperatures. However, this resulted in a slight reduction in alcohol content, as
the availability of additional nutrients favors cell growth over alcohol production.

Conclusão

The results indicate that supplementation increases yeast concentration, especially at lower temperatures, but may slightly reduce alcohol content. This is beneficial for small producers, who can adjust nutrient levels to maximize fermentation efficiency without significantly compromising the alcohol content of the final product. Therefore, the choice of supplementation strategy should balance yeast concentration and the desired alcohol content in the mead.