Abstract
Forty honey samples from Apis mellifera were collected in different parts of Algeria during 2007 to 2010 and were analysed for parameters including hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), invertase and diastase activities. The spectra of pollen of the honeys collected in those areas were also studied. The results show that the amylase activity ranged from 4.40 to 30.15 DN, with only one sample having a low diastase number than 8 DN. The invertase activity ranged from 0 to 138.38 UE. Invertase is generally present in small amounts and is inactivated by heating. The HMF values in our study were low (<40 mg/ kg). 85% of samples (34 samples) had a HMF content less than 15 mg/kg HMF. The results of mellissopalynology show that the NPG/10 g for all samples of honey ranged from 8 × 103 to 2.01 × 106; all samples studied are original flower honey. We also note that the dominant pollen in the majority of samples was: pollen of Eucalyptus, Trifolium sp, Echium sp, Hedysarium corornarium and to a lesser extent, Asteraceae (mostly Carduus), Apiaceae, Ericaceae, Rosaceaeare and Rutaceae. In general, the samples were found to meet the requirements of the international honey standards. Key words: Honey, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), diastase activity, invertase activity, mellissopalynology.
Highlights
Honey, produced by the honeybee, is a natural supersaturated sugar solution, which is mainly composed of a complex mixture of carbohydrates and contains certain minor constituents like proteins, enzymes, amino and organic acids, lipids, vitamins, volatile chemicals, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and carotenoid-like substances and minerals (Blasa et al, 2006)
The determination of the honey diastase activity is a photometric method in which a blue tint insoluble crosslinked type of starch is used as a substrate
The activity can be expressed as number invertase. p- nitrophenyl - α -Dglucopyranoside as a substrate is used for the analytical determination of the number of sucrase in honey. pNPG is divided into p -nitrophenol and glucose by α-glucosidase
Summary
Honey, produced by the honeybee, is a natural supersaturated sugar solution, which is mainly composed of a complex mixture of carbohydrates and contains certain minor constituents like proteins, enzymes (invertase, glucose oxidase, catalase, phosphatases), amino and organic acids (gluconic acid, acetic acid, etc.), lipids, vitamins (ascorbic acid, niacin, pyridoxine etc.), volatile chemicals, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and carotenoid-like substances and minerals (Blasa et al., 2006). The predominant enzymes in honey are diastase (amylase), invertase ( - glucosidase) and glucose oxidase. Pollen analysis has been the traditional method to determine the floral origin of the honey (Hermosin et al, 2003; Von der Ohe, 1994). The objective of this study was to determine the enzymes activity of α-glucosidase (invertase), ß-amylase (diastase), the contents of hydroxymethylfurfural
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