the library

Mead

Spirits & brews· spirit

Mead

What it is

Mead is a fermented drink made from honey, water and yeast, sometimes with fruit or spices added.

What it tastes like

On the nose: pineapple, pear. Among its measured molecules: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, capric acid, phenethyl acetate, acetaldehyde, caprylic acid.

What goes with it

173 more go with it. See them all in the full library →

Salt and acid

Salt

Salt not measured yet.

Acid

Acid not measured yet.

Unusual pairings

Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.

Every one of its 15 compounds carries a paper the library can cite.

  • acetic acidtasteacidreads as pungent (PubChem)Measured in 35 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.30 ± 0.02 g/L in the QA23 free-cell mead and 0.21 ± 0.01 in the ICV D47 free-cell mead, rising to 0.39 and 0.29 with immobilized cells; the strain and the condition are both significant (p = 0.001 and 0.002)Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 2 (Concentration of sugars, glycerol, acetic acid and ethanol), row 'Acetic acid')
  • acetaldehydearomaaldehydereads as pungent, fruity odor (PubChem)Measured in 18 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 31.6 (QA23 free cells) and 25.4 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 500 µg/L, falling to 7.3 and 8.6 in the immobilized-cell meads — the largest cell-format effect in the table, and larger than the difference between the two yeast strainsPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'Acetaldehyde')
  • 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenolaromaphenolMeasured in 7 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 1.0 in the QA23 free-cell mead against a threshold of 130 µg/L, and below 1 in the other three; the only phenolic volatile in the shortlist that clears threshold at allPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '4-vinylguaicol' (the paper's own spelling))
  • caprylic acidaromaacidreads as slight odor (PubChem)Measured in 21 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 6.4 (QA23 free cells) and 6.2 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 500 µg/L — the largest free fatty acid of the four in the tablePereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'octanoic acid')
  • glyceroltastereads as mild odor (PubChem)Measured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    5.23 ± 0.19 g/L in the QA23 free-cell mead and 5.07 ± 0.21 in the ICV D47 free-cell mead — the yeast's second product after ethanol, and the only compound in this profile that is not an odorant but is present in grams per litrePereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 2, row 'Glycerol')
  • capric acidaromaacidMeasured in 10 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 1.3 (QA23 free cells) and 1.1 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 1000 µg/L — the lowest of the four fatty acids and still above threshold in all four meadsPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'decanoic acid')
  • phenylethyl alcoholaromaalcoholreads as sharp burning taste (PubChem)Measured in 41 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 1.8 (QA23 free cells) and 2.5 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 14,000 µg/LPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '2-phenyl-ethanol')
  • phenethyl acetatearomaesterMeasured in 13 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 3.0 (QA23 free cells) and 2.7 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 250 µg/LPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '2-phenylethyl acetate')
  • ethyl butyratearomaesterreads as pineapple odor (PubChem)Measured in 21 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 7.4 (QA23 free cells) and 4.2 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 20 µg/LPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'ethyl butyrate')
  • ethyl octanoatearomaesterMeasured in 24 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 183.5 in the QA23 free-cell mead and 159.7 in the ICV D47 free-cell mead against an odour threshold of 5 µg/L — the highest odour activity value in the study by a factor of three, and the compound mead's aroma is built onPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4 (Odor activity values of volatile compounds of more influence on the aroma of mead), row 'ethyl octanoate')
  • ethyl acetatearomaesterreads as fragrant odor (PubChem)Measured in 42 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 2.8 (QA23 free cells) and 2.3 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 12,300 µg/L, rising to 4.1 and 3.1 with immobilized cellsPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'ethyl acetate')
  • hexanoic acidaromaacidMeasured in 24 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 1.7 (QA23 free cells) and 1.8 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 420 µg/LPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'hexanoic acid')
  • isoamyl alcoholaromaalcoholMeasured in 43 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 3.5 (QA23 free cells) and 4.2 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 30,000 µg/L — the highest threshold in the table, so the fusel alcohol is present in milligrams per litre and still barely audiblePereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '3-methyl-1-butanol')
  • ethyl hexanoatearomaesterMeasured in 36 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 33.6 (QA23 free cells) and 26.7 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 14 µg/LPereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'ethyl hexanoate')
  • isoamyl acetatearomaesterreads as pear-like odor (PubChem)Measured in 26 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 49.7 (QA23 free cells) and 38.6 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 30 µg/L; the immobilized-cell meads give 37.5 and 37.3Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'isoamyl acetate')

Sources

  • Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms