hist-brewing: Nutrients-Reply

[PBLoomis at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/7/99 11:58:09 AM EST, NTMOORE at SMTPGATE.DPHE.STATE.CO.US 
writes:

<< Has anyone ever tried using pollen as a nutrient in meads.   
< snip >
 it sounds like a very good yeast nutrient, unless it has a
 constituent that may be unhealthy to the yeast.  >>
 
	I approach this in terms of my courses in limnology, which 
is freshwater biological oceanography.  Think of the yeastie
beasties as plankton, swimming in a honey-water lake.  Kind 
of like Campbelltown Loch, if you know the song.
	The limiting nutrients in this idyllic situation will not 
necessarily be those in shortest supply, but those in shortest 
supply _proportional_to_the_demand_.  Sugar is needed in large 
quantities, but there are large quantities available, so it is not in 
short supply.  The most usual limiting nutrients in natural waters 
are sulfur, phosphorus, and nitrogen, all of which are required
for building protein, that is to say, for reproduction and cell 
growth.  Sulfur turns out to be not a problem in meads, there's 
enough in the honey.
	The limiting nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus.  That is 
why ammonium phosphate -- (NH3)3PO4 -- is commonly used 
as a yeast nutrient.
	I have no idea what nutrients are present in the pollen-next-door, 
and even less about how "available" they are.  Read the nutrition
label, make a guess, give it a try, have a homebrew, relax.  8-)
	Slainte mhath,  Scotti


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