RESEARCH ON HONEY WORST FERMENTATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING HONEY DISTILLATES

Abstract

Honey, a product with high nutritional value, a distinct flavor profile, and a complex chemical composition, has attracted particular attention as a promising substrate for fermentation. The article presents the results of comparative studies studying the effect of wheat starter and dry yeast Coobra MJod CBF Drinkit on the process of fermentation of honey wort and obtaining honey distillate. Studies have shown that when using wheat starter, the alcohol content in the final product is 6%, which indicates its ability to ferment honey wort, but with a lower effect compared to dry yeast. This may be the result of the activity of accompanying microorganisms, such as lactic acid bacteria, which affect the composition of the medium and reduce the efficiency of the process of converting sugars to ethanol.Key words: dangerous factor, critical control points, monitoring, decision-making tree, sterilization, unfiltered beer. At the same time, the use of dry yeast, even in small quantities (0.04 g per 100 cm³), gives a significantly higher alcohol content – 7,4%, which indicates a more efficient fermentation process. When the yeast concentration is increased to 0.06 g and 0.1 g, the alcohol content increases to 7,6% and 8,2%, respectively. This confirms that the increase in the amount of yeast activates the fermentation process, which contributes to a more complete conversion of sugars into ethanol. The results obtained emphasize that to achieve high fermentation efficiency and maximum alcohol content, the optimal use of dry yeast, in particular at a concentration of 0,1 g per 100 cm³, is desirable. The results also confirm that the chemical composition of honey itself limits the full course of alcoholic fermentation. In particular, the lack of available sources of nitrogen, B vitamins and phosphates, as well as the presence of complex sugars (oligosaccharides) that are not fermented by standard yeast strains, significantly affect the efficiency of the process. However, wheat starter, due to its characteristics, may be an attractive option for those seeking a more natural approach, as it adds unique taste and aroma characteristics to the honey distillate. These results indicate the prospect of further research in the direction of optimizing the fermentation process using special additives or specialized yeast strains to achieve the desired balance between efficiency and naturalness of the product.