## 4 Conclusions  
The findings from the presented research provide valuable insights into the complex interactions between honey type, wort heating, and fermentation methods in shaping the aroma and sensory characteristics of mead. By systematically investigating the impact of these three critical factors--honey type (acacia, buckwheat, and linden), wort heating, and fermentation techniques (commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae, spontaneous fermentation, and spontaneous fermentation with the inoculation of Galactomyces geotrichum molds)--on the formation of odor-active compounds, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of mead aroma development. The results confirmed that the type of honey plays the most significant role in determining the sensory properties of mead, with distinct clusters of aroma profiles for buckwheat, acacia, and linden honey. Buckwheat-based meads were associated with intense honey, malty, and rum-like aromas, while acacia and linden-based meads shared a lighter, more floral profile. Despite this clear influence of honey type, no consistent trends were observed for the effects of wort heating or the fermentation method on the overall aroma, indicating that while these factors can influence specific compounds, their impact is secondary to that of honey type. Through the use of gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and headspace SPME-GC/MS quantitation, this study identified several odor-active compounds, including phenylacetic acid, 2- and 3-methylbutanal, and butanoic acid, which were strongly correlated with sensory attributes such as honey-like, malty, and fermented aromas. Compounds like phenylacetic acid, 2- and 3-methyl-1-butanal, 2- and 3-methylbutanoic acid, and 2-phenylethanolamine-1-ol were particularly influential in driving the perception of honey, malty, beeswax-like, and floral odors. The application of the molecular sensory science concept led to the suggestion that the identification of odor-active compounds for each individual product might be unnecessary in the case of meads. This approach may allow for efficient identification of differences in aroma profiles through quantitative analysis, without the need for exhaustive compound identification for every product. Those findings may form the basis for establishing easier and faster methods for controlling the quality parameters of meads and determining the correctness of the fermentation process by monitoring odor-active compounds. In conclusion, this research highlights the critical role of honey selection in crafting a mead's characteristic aroma and provides mead producers with strategic guidance for optimizing sensory profiles. By understanding the contributions of odor-active compounds and their correlation with sensory attributes, producers can tailor their processes to enhance desired aromas, such as honey-like or malty notes, while controlling for less desirable characteristics. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules29245913/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules29245913/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules29245913/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules29245913/s1)), Miscellaneous Chemicals and Materials, detailed GC systems specifications, Table S1: Experimental Data of Quantitation with Internal Standard (Quantifier Ions, Calibration Lines); Table S2: Coefficients of Variance of Odorants Quantitation of Meads. Conceptualization, D.C.-W. and M.A.M. ; methodology, D.C.-W., M.A.M. and N.D.; validation, M.A.M. ; formal analysis, N.D.; investigation, D.C.-W.; resources, D.C.-W. and M.A.M. ; data curation, D.C.-W.; writing--original draft preparation, D.C.-W. and N.D.; writing--review and editing, M.A.M. ; visualization, D.C.-W. and N.D.; supervision, M.A.M. ; project administration, M.A.M. and D.C.-W.; funding acquisition, M.A.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This research was funded by the National Science Centre (Poland), grant number UMO-2019/35/O/NZ9/00788.