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Mead, one of the oldest fermented drinks, is derived from the fermentation of diluted honey by yeasts. In the context of wine production, several procedures are applied to stabilize the beverage and to improve its organoleptic properties. This study aims to evaluate the impact of adding fining agents on the production of mead. In general, the best results were obtained for the samples containing just one fining agent instead of two combined. However, the best performance was obtained for the combined fining agents (bentonite + gelatine + egg albumin). Tannins decreased significantly the content of volatile compounds. On the other hand, silica appears to be the best fining agent, resulting in the lowest loss of volatile compounds. Thirty‐six volatile compounds were determined by gas chromatograph–flame ionization detector and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, including alcohols (42.5%), carbonyl compounds (40.4%), acetates (14.4%) and esters (1.8%). Eleven volatile compounds had odour activity values >1, representing those with a major impact on the aroma of mead. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in 10 volatile compounds independently to the type of treatment used and no differences (p > 0.05) were observed for remaining compounds.

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

“Bee pollen” is pollen collected from flowers by honey bees. It is used by the bees to nourish themselves, mainly by provid ing royal jelly and brood food, but it is also used for human nutrition. For the latter purpose, it is collected at the hive entrance as pellets that the bees bring to the hive. Bee pollen has diverse bioactivities, and thus has been used as a health food, and even as medication in some countries. In this paper, we provide standard methods for carrying out research on bee pollen. First, we introduce a method for the production and storage of bee pollen which assures quality of the product. Routine methods are then provided for the identification of the pollen’s floral sources, and determination of the more important quality criteria such as water content and content of proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins, alkaloids, phen olic and polyphenolic compounds. Finally, methods are described for the determination of some important bioactivities of bee pollen such as its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antimutagenic properties.