the library

Mead

Spirits & brews· spirit

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

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

• acetic acidtasteacidreads as sour, burningMeasured in 37 of 341 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 (PubChem)Measured in 18 of 341 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 strains — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'Acetaldehyde')
• 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenolaromaphenolMeasured in 7 of 341 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 all — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '4-vinylguaicol' (the paper's own spelling))
• caprylic acidaromaacidMeasured in 21 of 341 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 table — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'octanoic acid')
• glyceroltastereads as sweet, warmMeasured in 1 of 341 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 litre — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 2, row 'Glycerol')
• capric acidaromaacidMeasured in 10 of 341 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 meads — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'decanoic acid')
• phenylethyl alcoholaromaalcoholreads as sharp burning taste (PubChem)Measured in 42 of 341 ingredients.cite

  OAV 1.8 (QA23 free cells) and 2.5 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 14,000 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '2-phenyl-ethanol')
• phenethyl acetatearomaesterMeasured in 13 of 341 ingredients.cite

  OAV 3.0 (QA23 free cells) and 2.7 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 250 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '2-phenylethyl acetate')
• ethyl butyratearomaesterreads as pineapple (PubChem)Measured in 22 of 341 ingredients.cite

  OAV 7.4 (QA23 free cells) and 4.2 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 20 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'ethyl butyrate')
• ethyl octanoatearomaesterMeasured in 24 of 341 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 on — Pereira 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 (PubChem)Measured in 43 of 341 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 cells — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'ethyl acetate')
• hexanoic acidaromaacidMeasured in 25 of 341 ingredients.cite

  OAV 1.7 (QA23 free cells) and 1.8 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 420 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'hexanoic acid')
• isoamyl alcoholaromaalcoholMeasured in 46 of 341 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 audible — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row '3-methyl-1-butanol')
• ethyl hexanoatearomaesterMeasured in 36 of 341 ingredients.cite

  OAV 33.6 (QA23 free cells) and 26.7 (ICV D47 free cells) against a threshold of 14 µg/L — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'ethyl hexanoate')
• isoamyl acetatearomaesterreads as pear (PubChem)Measured in 26 of 341 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 37.3 — Pereira et al. 2019, Microorganisms (Table 4, row 'isoamyl acetate')