HMF(Hidroximetilphurphural) and diastase of honeys melted by heating

Abstract

The honey crystallization is a frequent event and considered of major relevance as indicator of honey purity. It would be a reasonable aim to generalize the habit of consuming crystallized honey, but this objective is not easily reached because, the Brazilian consumers prefer the product in the liquid form. This paper deals with alterations in the honey quality, using HMF determination and diastase activity for polyfloral honey, Citrus honey and Eucalyptus honey melting in the microwave oven, in water bath and in the sun. In the microwave oven the honeys were exposed for one minute in high frequency. For water bath, procedure involved heating water up to a beginning of the boiling point, then taking it out of heating source, in order to put the samples of honey on it. Finally, the third method involved the use of solar wax extractor until complete honey melting. The HMF(mg/kg) averages for each one of the analyzed samples of honey submitted to melting, by each one of the described methods, were significantly higher than those of crystallized honey of the same floral origin, but in all the occurrences, the values were below 40 mg/kg, the upper limit allowed by Brazilian legislation. Only the diastase activity of the Citrus honey has shown reduction when the honey was submitted to liquefying in microwave oven and in water bath.