Fruit and herbal meads - Chemical composition and antioxidant properties.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of fruit additives such as syrup from chokeberry or grape seeds, and herbal in the form of a dandelion syrup on the course of the fermentation process of "trójniak" type meads, on their physicochemical and antioxidant properties. The addition of grape seeds allowed for the highest final alcoholic content, which was measured by HPLC, ie 120.73 g/L, and for obtaining a beverage with the highest overall polyphenol content measured by the Folin-Ciocialteu reagent method: 23.18 mg GAE/100 mL, while in the control sample (without additives) it was successively: 91.38 g/L and 12 mg GAE/100 mL. Our research shows that different various of fruit and herbal have a significant impact on the course of the mead fermentation process and on their composition and on the content of biologically active compounds.