Evaluation of two extraction methods of mint oil (Mentha piperita L.) for flavoring bee honey (Apis mellifera L.) and their effect on organoleptic characteristics and acceptability

Abstract

The research was carried out from August to February 2022, at the facilities of the Complex for Technological and Productive Innovation in Agroindustry (CITPA) of the National Center for Agricultural and Forestry Technology (CENTA), which is located at km 33 1 /2 highway to Santa Ana, Ciudad Arce, La Libertad, and in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of El Salvador, in San Salvador, El Salvador. The objective of the research was to apply two methods of mint oil extraction for the production of flavored honey and their effect on the organoleptic characteristics and acceptability by consumers. The honey used for the experiment is of unprocessed multifloral origin, from an apiary located in Nahulingo, Sonsonate. A honey quality analysis was carried out on the honey in the CIPTA Chemistry Laboratory, in which brix degrees, humidity, glucose, fructose, sucrose, HMF, glycerol and conductivity were characterized before and after flavoring. Mint (Mentha piperita) was produced and collected in the CENTA germplasm bank. The mint oil extraction was carried out to flavor the honey, and 5 treatments were carried out: T0= Control treatment (without mint oil), T1= method by alcoholic maceration with 15 ml of mint oil for 375 ml of honey, T2= alcoholic maceration method with 10 ml of mint oil for 375 ml of honey, T3= steam stripping method with 0.8 ml of mint oil for 375 ml of honey, T4= steam stripping method with 0.3 ml of mint oil for 375 ml of honey. The sensory analysis of the treatments was carried out with a group of 25 untrained tasters. For the organization, processing and statistical analysis of the data, descriptive statistical methods such as summary measures and graphic representations were used. Inferential methods such as the Analysis of Variance (ANVA) technique were also used, specifically a completely randomized experimental design (DCA). According to the data obtained in each attribute for general acceptance, the panelists did not have the same degree of acceptance for all the treatments, demonstrating that there are significant differences between the treatments.