Influence of simulated industrial thermal treatments on the volatile fractions of different varieties of honey

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine if the volatile fraction of honey is affected by the application of standard industrial thermal treatment processes. Four types of Spanish honey were studied: three of floral origin (citrus, rosemary and polyfloral) and the fourth from honeydew. Each sample of honey was divided into three parts: one was left untreated, one was liquefied (at 45 °C for 48 h) and the other was both liquefied and pasteurized (at 80 °C for 4 min). All the samples analyzed were characterized to determine their melissopalynological, physicochemical (pH, moisture, total acidity, conductivity, hydroxymethylfurfural, and diastase activity), and volatile profiles. Type of honey had a greater impact on volatile fraction variations than did heat treatment. The overall volatile profile of each kind of honey permitted the classification of the honeys by botanical origin, revealing that there were practically no differences between the raw, liquefied, and pasteurized samples of each honey. These findings suggest that industrial processes conducted under controlled conditions should not significantly alter the intrinsic aroma of honey.