Consumers increasingly prefer and seek functional beverages, which, given their characteristics, provide important bioactive compounds that help prevent and treat chronic diseases. Mead is a traditional fermented alcoholic beverage made from honey solution. The aging process of mead with oak chips is innovative and bestows functional characteristics to this beverage. Thus, in this study, we sought to develop and characterize a novel functional beverage by combining the health benefits of honey with the traditional aging process of alcoholic beverages in wood. Phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity were analyzed in mead using oak chips at different toasting levels and aged for 360 days. LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS was used to analyze the chemical profile of different meads. Over time, the aging process with oak chips showed a higher total phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity. Eighteen compounds belonging to the classes of organic acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins were identified in meads after 360 days. Our findings revealed that the addition of oak chips during aging contributed to p-coumaric, ellagic, abscisic, and chlorogenic acids, and naringenin, vanillin, and tiliroside significantly impacted the functional quality of mead.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of meads prepared with multifloral honey, unifloral orange blossom honey, and a mixture of both. To prepare the meads, multifloral honey and orange blossom honey from Southern and Southeastern Brazil, respectively, were used. The physicochemical properties, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity of the meads were determined. The phenolic compounds were identified by mass spectrometry, and sensory tests were carried out. Multifloral honey showed higher levels of ash content, reducing sugars, and total phenolic compounds than orange blossom honey. The multifloral and mixed meads presented the highest levels of total phenolics, total polyphenol index, and antioxidant capacity. The orange blossom mead showed the highest scores in the sensory analysis for color, aroma, flavor, and global acceptance. The phenolic compounds identified in the meads were the chlorogenic, protocatechuic, syringic, and p-coumaric acids, as well as naringenin and quercetin. The physicochemical, functional, and sensory characteristics of the meads are affected by the honey used in their preparation.

Oak (Quercus spp.), traditionally used for aging alcoholic beverages, is not native in many countries, which increases production costs and environmental impact. During the aging process of alcoholic beverages, complex physical and chemical transformations occur that determine their chemical composition and sensory quality, many of which are unique depending on the type of wood used in the process. In this context, Maclura tinctoria (Tajuva), a native Brazilian species rich in phenolic compounds, was evaluated based on its phenolic composition and extraction behavior as a sustainable alternative for beverage aging. Wood chips were subjected to three toasting levels (untoasted, medium, and high) and aged for up to 360 days in two hydroethanolic model systems (10% and 14% v/v ethanol). The total and individual phenolic compounds were determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method and HPLC–DAD/LC–MS/MS analysis. Results showed that toasting level, ethanol concentration, and aging time significantly influenced phenolic extraction. Untoasted Tajuva released the highest amounts of phenolic acids and flavonoids, particularly gallic and caffeic acids, and quercetin, respectively; while medium toasting favored the formation of thermally derived aromatic compounds, such as vanillic acid. The 14% ethanol system enhanced extraction efficiency for most analytes. Overall, Tajuva wood exhibited higher phenolic yields than French oak under comparable conditions, highlighting its chemical richness and extraction reactivity. These findings support the use of M. tinctoria as an eco-efficient and functional alternative to oak for the maturation of alcoholic beverages.