The short answer
Use 1/2 teaspoon of powdered pectic enzyme per gallon of fruit mead. Add it to the fruit before fermentation, or before the mead is racked onto it. Double that to 1 teaspoon per gallon for high-pectin fruit such as peaches, plums and apples, and for a haze you are treating after fermentation. A mead with no fruit needs none.
- Standard dose
- 1/2 tsp powder per gallon
- High-pectin fruit, or after fermentation
- 1 tsp per gallon
- Best time
- On the fruit, before alcohol
- After a Campden tablet
- Wait about 12 hours
- Traditional mead
- Not needed
Dose chart: 1 to 6 gallons
| Batch size | Standard (1/2 tsp per gal) | High-pectin fruit or haze (1 tsp per gal) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 gallon | 1/2 tsp | 1 tsp |
| 3 gallons | 1 1/2 tsp | 3 tsp |
| 5 gallons | 2 1/2 tsp | 5 tsp |
| 6 gallons | 3 tsp | 6 tsp |
These amounts follow the usual label direction for powdered enzyme, 1/2 teaspoon per gallon before fermentation. If your packet says something different, the packet wins: strengths vary between brands.
What pectic enzyme does
Pectin is the substance that holds fruit cell walls together, and the reason jam sets. In a mead it does two unwelcome things. It locks juice, color and flavor inside the fruit, and it stays suspended in the finished mead as a soft, permanent haze that fining agents cannot remove.
Pectic enzyme, also sold as pectinase, breaks pectin into smaller pieces that no longer gel. Added at the right time it gives you two things:
- More from the fruit. Broken-down cell walls release more juice, color and aroma.
- A mead that clears. No pectin, no pectin haze.
Which meads need it
| Mead | Pectic enzyme? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional, bochet, spiced | No | No fruit, so no pectin |
| Berry meads | Yes, 1/2 tsp per gallon | Moderate pectin; helps color and clearing |
| Cherry mead | Yes, 1/2 tsp per gallon | Firm flesh that gives up juice slowly |
| Peach, plum, apricot, mango | Yes, 1 tsp per gallon in two doses | The slowest fruit meads to clear |
| Cyser from clear, filtered juice | No | The pectin was removed when the juice was filtered |
| Cyser from cloudy fresh cider or home-pressed apples | Yes, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp per gallon | Apples are high in pectin |
| Any fruit that has been cooked | Yes, a heavier dose | Heat sets pectin, which is exactly how jam works |
That last row is one more reason not to boil or simmer fruit before it goes into a mead. Freezing and thawing breaks the fruit down without setting the pectin. More on preparing fruit in adding fruit to mead.
When to add it
The enzyme works fastest in a warm, alcohol-free liquid. Alcohol slows it, so the aim is to let it work on the fruit before the two meet.
- Fruit in primary. Stir the enzyme into the must with the fruit, cover, and wait about 12 hours before pitching the yeast. Our blackberry mead does this.
- Fruit in secondary. Thaw the fruit in its straining bag, sprinkle the enzyme over it and leave it covered for a few hours before racking the mead on top. Our peach mead gives it about 8 hours.
- Stubborn fruit. Split the dose: half on the fruit, half when you rack off it to clear.
- If you sulfite the fruit first. Sulfite inhibits the enzyme. Add the Campden tablet, wait about 12 hours, then add the enzyme.
Dissolve the powder in a tablespoon of cool water before adding it, so it disperses instead of clumping on the surface.
What our recipes use
Every fruit recipe in our mead recipes collection lists its own dose. All are for one gallon and scale with the batch.
| Recipe | Pectic enzyme per gallon | How it is added |
|---|---|---|
| Strawberry mead | 1/2 tsp | Helps the fruit release juice and clear |
| Raspberry mead | 1/2 tsp | Added with the fruit |
| Blueberry mead | 1/2 tsp | Half in primary, half in secondary |
| Blackberry mead | 1/2 tsp | With the fruit, before pitching the yeast |
| Cherry mead | 1/2 tsp | Added with the fruit |
| Cyser (apple mead) | 1/4 tsp | Only for cloudy, unfiltered fresh cider |
| Peach mead | 1 tsp | Double the usual dose, half with the fruit, half after |
| Mango mead (and pineapple mead) | 1 tsp | Half with the fruit, half after |
| Elderberry mead | 1/2 tsp | Added once the must is below 90°F (32°C) |
| Banana mead | 1/2 tsp | Added once the must is below 90°F (32°C) |
| Pomegranate mead | 1/4 tsp | With the fruit, before pitching the yeast |
| Pumpkin mead | 1/2 tsp | Added with the pumpkin |
| Cranberry mead | 1/2 tsp | Added with the fruit |
Fixing a pectin haze after fermentation
A fruit mead that is still hazy after two months, when the yeast has clearly settled, often has a pectin haze. You can test for it before treating.
- Test. Mix 1 teaspoon of the hazy mead into 3 to 4 teaspoons of denatured alcohol (methylated spirits) in a small glass and wait 20 to 30 minutes. Stringy clots or jelly-like strands mean pectin. Throw the sample away; do not drink it.
- Treat. Add 1 teaspoon of pectic enzyme per gallon, dissolved in a little water. The double dose makes up for the alcohol.
- Keep it warm. Room temperature, around 70°F. In a cold cellar the enzyme barely works.
- Wait two to four weeks. The haze drops as a fine sediment.
- Then fine if needed. Once the pectin is gone, a fining agent can deal with whatever is left. See how to clear mead.
What stops it working
- Heat. Above about 120°F the enzyme is destroyed. Never add it to hot liquid.
- Cold. Below about 50°F it slows to a crawl.
- Alcohol. It still works in a finished mead, but slowly, which is why the after-fermentation dose is doubled.
- Fresh sulfite. Leave about 12 hours between a Campden tablet and the enzyme.
- Bentonite at the same time. Bentonite binds proteins, and an enzyme is a protein. Use one, let it finish, then the other.
Planning a fruit batch? Start with how much fruit to use and when to add it, pick a recipe from our fruit meads, and if you want it sweet at the end, see how to backsweeten mead.
Frequently asked questions
How much pectic enzyme per gallon of mead?
Use 1/2 teaspoon of powdered pectic enzyme per gallon for a fruit mead, added to the fruit before it meets alcohol. Use 1 teaspoon per gallon for high-pectin fruit such as peaches, plums and apples, or when you are treating a haze after fermentation. Liquid pectic enzyme is more concentrated: follow the label.
How much pectic enzyme for 5 gallons of mead?
About 2 1/2 teaspoons of powder for a standard fruit mead, or 5 teaspoons (1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) for high-pectin fruit or a haze treated after fermentation.
When should I add pectic enzyme to mead?
With the fruit, and before alcohol if you can. For fruit in primary, stir it into the must about 12 hours before pitching the yeast. For fruit in secondary, sprinkle it over the thawed fruit a few hours before racking the mead onto it.
Can I add pectic enzyme after fermentation?
Yes, but alcohol slows it down, so double the dose to about 1 teaspoon per gallon, keep the mead at room temperature and give it two to four weeks.
Do I need pectic enzyme in a traditional mead?
No. Pectin comes from fruit. Honey contains none, so a mead made from only honey, water and yeast gains nothing from the enzyme.
Can you add too much pectic enzyme?
A double dose does no harm and is the normal treatment for a stubborn haze. Much more than that is wasted, and more enzyme does not work faster than enough enzyme.
Does pectic enzyme change the taste of mead?
Not directly. It has no flavor of its own. By breaking down the fruit it releases more juice, color and aroma, so fruit meads made with it tend to taste fruitier.
Does pectic enzyme expire?
It loses strength with age, heat and moisture. Keep it sealed, cool and dry, refrigerate liquid enzyme, and replace a packet that has been open for more than a year or two.