Water jet vacuum cooling system for improving the quality of multiflora honey from bee (Apis dorsata Fabricus) in Indonesia

Abstract

Honey has great benefits to humans, both as medicine and food. It contains glucose, fructose and water in addition to small quantities of proteins, minerals, organic acids, and vitamins. Vacuum cooling is a rapid cooling technique based on the principle of evaporation, which lowers the boiling point of water based on the vacuum pressure inside a cooler room. A prototype vacuum-cooling jet water system was used to process the honey. Raw honey obtained from the forests of Riau was used in the present study. This study aimed to determine the effect of jet water vacuum cooling with variations in volume (V/V), capacity (12.5%, 25%, and 50%) on the quality of honey (Apis dorsata Fabricus) to accelerate the cooling process and preserve product quality. The cooling mechanical analysis parameters reviewed included the processing time and the lowest maximum pressure. The parameters of the quality of honey observed included moisture content, viscosity, density and total dissolved solids. As a result, the vacuum cooling process can suppress damage to the quality of honey owing to the heating process. At the cooling time and lowest maximum pressure value, the mechanical aspects of the water jet system vacuum cooling process showed the maximum results. The water contents of 12.5% (V/V), 25% (V/V) and 50% (V/V) filling were 13.69%, 12.89%, and 14.25%, respectively. The viscosities at 12.5% (V/V), 25% (V/V) and 50% (V/V) filling were 2.604 Pa.s, 2.355 Pa.s, and 1.644 Pa.s, respectively. Density with 12.5% (V/V), 25% (V/V) and 50% (V/V) filling were 1.52 g/cm3, 1.53 g/cm3 and 1.50 g/cm3, respectively. Total dissolved solid values of honey with 12.5 % (V/V), 25 % (V/V), and 50 % (V/V) fillings were 78.16%, 78.16% and 77.66%, respectively. Water jet vacuum cooling with a 25% chamber volume capacity accelerates honey with the best total dissolved solids, density and moisture content. Vacuum cooling can be used to improve product quality, shorten handling time, extend product shelf life and improve security. Key words: honey, pressure, vacuum cooling, density, moisture content, viscosity