Abstract
In this study, three parameters (hydroxymethylfurfural, diastase activity and invertase activity) were used to evaluate the quality of twenty samples of multifloral honey from northern Algeria heated by a traditional method (conventional heating in a water bath at 100 °C) for five treatment periods (2, 4, 6, 8 and 16 min). The assay was carried out with honey samples whose initial HMF, diastase activity and invertase activity values were within the recommended food authority limit. HMF was determined by HPLC, diastase was measured with Phadebas and invertase was determined using the Siegenthler method. During heating, it was observed an increase in the HMF related to an increase in temperature, but still below the international standard limit (40 mg.kg-1). Diastase activity and invertase activity also decreases during heating. However, invertase is more heat-sensitive and heating time than diastase and HMF, and it's an important parameter to determine if honey has been submitted to heating. Therefore to liquefy honey we can use this method but with a low temperature and a short time because time has a deep impact on the quality of heating treatment of honey.
Highlights
Honey is a product that contains a blend of complex carbohydrates, mostly monosaccharides glucose and fructose
The number of samples below limit was respectively decreased from 14 samples to 20 samples. These results showed that the values of the invertase activity are inversely proportional to the heating period
We concluded that hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), diastase activity and invertase activity concentrations in fresh multifloral honey samples from north of Algeria were within the internationally recommended range
Summary
Honey is a product that contains a blend of complex carbohydrates, mostly monosaccharides glucose and fructose. Honey contains small amounts of different enzymes, the most important of which are diastase (∝-amylase), invertase (∝-glucosydase), glucose oxidase, catalase and acid phosphatase (White, 1975). They are sensitive to heat and are able to indicate overheating of the product and the degree of conservation (Ahmed et al, 2013). HMF value is virtually absent or very low in fresh honey and is high in honey that has been heated, stored in non-adequate conditions and old honey (Nozal et al, 2001; Khalil et al, 2010). High values of HMF (>500 mg.kg-1) demonstrate adulteration with invert syrup (Coco et al, 1996)
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