Sensorial do hidromel produzido a partir do mel proveniente do semiarido piauiense

Abstract

The Northeast region presented between 1999 and 2009 a growth rate in honey production of 435.36%. The municipality of Picos, according to the same study, is currently the 6th largest producer of honey in Brazil, with a production of 421 tons. Of the four honey and wax warehouses that have been authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) for export, two are located in the Picos arrangement, and the main destinations of Piauí honey since 2006 have been the United States and Germany. Mead is an alcoholic beverage manufactured in an artisan way, and is little known to the producers. It can be stated that in the Picos region there is no knowledge of any initiative by associations of beekeepers for the production of mead. Likewise, the acceptance of the product among consumers was little studied, especially in the Northeast region. Mead is a good income option for honey producers, adds value to the beekeeping chain, a little-known by-product commercially, but with great potential. The main objective of the present work was to produce the mead from a sample of honey that meets the quality requirements. The Mead Acceptance Index was calculated, for each attribute appearance, color, flavor aroma and overall impression. The attributes of flavor and overall impression obtained greater appreciation in relation to the other attributes, proving to be a product that is in the range of acceptance by the tasters. According to the data obtained, the purchase intention was very positive, most of the "certainly" and "probably" tasters would buy the product, with a percentage of 59.75% and 29.26%, respectively