Work was developed by students and professors of the Federal Institute of Maranhão, Campus Caxias.

In Brazil and in the world, craft beer production has grown significantly in recent years. This increase is due, in large part, to the search for differentiated products, with unique flavors and aromas, which provide richer and more satisfying sensory experiences for the consumer. It was based on these data and knowing that the addition of honey to beer provides a less bodied drink with a higher alcohol content, that researchers from the Federal Institute of Maranhão (IFMA) Campus Caxias began a study and produced, by hand, a beer in the style American Pale Ale, with the addition of honey from the native bee Melipona fasciculata, popularly known as Tiúba, from the flowering cashew tree and yellow ipe. 

The study was carried out by students Eumália Miranda, Joel Lunga and Valeria Sousa, from the bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology, under the guidance of professors François Barbosa and Joyce Lopes. “We named the beer Melliscientia Brew, which is a combination of the words honey, science and craft beer. For the time being, we have only done the sensory analysis. The physical-chemical analysis is still missing”, explains Eumália Miranda.

The student points out that twenty untrained volunteer tasters, of legal age and beer consumers, participated in the sensory analysis phase. “After the tasting, these volunteers filled out a descriptive evaluation form, which had a scale that varied from none, weak, medium to strong”, said Eumália Miranda. According to the student, the beer was very well accepted, as 65% of the volunteers characterized the drink as a medium colored beer, 55% with uniform foam at the strong level and 55% without turbidity.

After the physical-chemical analysis, a scientific article will be produced. “We intend to present this work at the ninth edition of the National Forum on Academic Training and Professional Practice of Food Scientists (FOCAL), which takes place together with the fifth National Symposium on Food Science and Technology (SICITEA). Both are scheduled to take place from the 26th to the 29th of September, at the Federal Institute of the Southeast of Minas Gerais – Campus Rio Pomba”, says the student.

By Gabriel Willian

Source: IFMA