Effect of yeast strain on honey spirit quality

Rakija od meda ili medovača je jako alkoholno piće koje se dobiva destilacijom fermentiranog meda. Prilikom alkoholne fermentacije važan je rad kvasaca koji produciraju etanol i mnogo drugih produkata. Unutar rada su korištene dva komercijalno dostupna selekcionirana kvasca koji su fermentirali istovjetnu otopinu meda, EC1118 (Saccharomyces cerevisae ex bayanus) i Applepear (Saccharomyces cerevisae). Nakon fermentacije provedena je destilacija fermentirane otopine te su producirani destilati od meda. Analizirali su se hlapljivi spojevi destilata od kojih su najzastupljeniji metanol, acetaldehid, viši alkoholi te esteri. Analiza je pokazala veću produkciju gotovo svakog analiziranog spoja unutar uzorka kvasca Applepear izuzev n-butanola i dietil-sukcinata, samim time ukazujući na veliku važnost odabira kvasca za fermentaciju u proizvodnji rakije od meda.Spirit made of honey or mead is a strong alcoholic drink obtained by distilling fermented honey. During alcohol distillation, the work of yeasts is important, as they produce ethanol and many other products. Within the work, two commercially available selected yeasts were used that fermented the same honey solution, EC1118 (Saccharomyces cerevisae ex. bayanus) and Applepear (Saccharomyces cerevisae). After fermentation, the fermented solution was distilled and honey distillates were produced. The volatile compounds of the distillate were analyzed, of which methanol, acetaldehyde, higher alcohols and esters are the most represented. The analysis showed a higher production of almost every analyzed compound within the Applepear yeast sample, except for n-butanol and diethyl succinate, thereby indicating the great importance of the selection of yeast for fermentation in the production of honey brandy