Effect of Honey Thermal Conditions on Hydroxymethylfurfural Content Prior to Pasteurization

Abstract

Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content is internationally recognized for its ability to indicate the freshness or lack of freshness of honey. Relevant standards stipulate that commercial honey intended for household consumption should have no more than 40 mg of HMF per kilogram of honey. This study investigated the correlation between changes in HMF content and changes in other quality criteria such as moisture content, conductivity, and total acidity when honey was subject to temperatures characteristic of the stages prior to industrial pasteurization. Furthermore, a model was created to predict increases in HMF content in the above stages. The study involved four different types of honey. Several thermal treatments were applied by combining different temperatures (between 35 °C and 65 °C) with periods of time ranging from 3 h to 28 days. Multivariate analysis showed no correlation between HMF content and the other three study variables. The application of a general linear model confirmed that the increases observed in HMF content were only correlated with time, temperature, and type of honey. The model created accounted for 75.47% of data variability and it is concluded that the predictive power of the model could be improved by modeling the storage temperature ranges apart from the liquefaction temperature ranges.