The Use of Ultrasound for Preventing Honey Crystallization

Effect of ultrasound technique to improve quality of Iranian industrial honey by controlling crystallization process

This experiment aimed to assess the effects of ultrasound techniques on the quality of Iranian industrial honey. Honey samples were subjected to ultrasound waves at different frequencies and various parameters. The results showed that both ultrasound treatments (30 or 42 kHz) changed the physical, biochemical, antioxidant, and antibacterial characteristics of honey. Ultrasound treatments at 20 or 45°C for 1, 5, or 10 min reduced moisture, acidity, sugars, ABTS levels, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural content, clostridium, aerobic mesophilic bacteria count, and osmophile count while increasing diastase, phenol, and proline levels. Ultrasound treatment of honey samples at 30 and 42 kHz and different temperatures for varying durations led to a decrease in acidity after 90 and 180 days. Treating honey samples with 42 kHz ultrasound at 45°C for 10 min led to a significant reduction in the amount of reducing sugar. Ultrasonication at different frequencies and temperatures led to higher levels of phenol, ABTS, and proline production, along with a considerable decrease in the total count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria. Our study unveils the potential of ultrasonication to enhance honey quality through multifaceted improvements. Treatment significantly augmented phenolic content and antioxidant capacity, opening avenues for novel honey preservation and quality enhancement strategies. Additionally, ultrasonication effectively controlled honey crystallization while simultaneously improving biochemical, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. This demonstrates its potential as a comprehensive strategy for honey quality improvement.

Ultrasonication for honey processing and preservation: A brief overview

Honey is a food product consumed all over the world. Besides its nutritional properties, honey presents antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound-healing properties. To ensure that the final product meets qualitative and microbiological standards, honey treatment is of great importance. Conventional honey treatment is based on the heating of honey samples for decrystallization and bacteria and yeast inactivation. However, conventional heating can cause negative effects on honey quality, such as the formation of toxic compounds, reduction of enzyme activity, and loss of antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The application of ultrasonic waves has demonstrated interesting effects on honey processing. Ultrasound (US) treatment can lead to the fragmentation of glucose crystals in crystalized honey and has little effect on its properties. In addition to inactivating microorganisms, US-assisted honey processing also preserves phenolic compounds content and antimicrobial properties. However, there is still limited information about honey sonication. The aim of the present review is to comprehensively show the possibilities of US application in honey processing and its effects on honey properties.

Tracking of Thermal, Physicochemical, and Biological Parameters of a Long-Term Stored Honey Artificially Adulterated with Sugar Syrups

The growing phenomenon of honey adulteration prompts the search for simple methods to confirm the authenticity of honey. The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in thermal characteristics, physicochemical parameters, antioxidant and enzymatic activity of honey subjected to artificial adulteration. Two series of products were prepared with the use of two different sugar syrups with an increasing dosage of adulterant (0 to 30%). After 24 months of storage, the quality of adulterated samples (partially crystallized) was assessed in comparison to the control honey (solid). Used adulteration changed physicochemical parameters and reduced antioxidant and enzymatic activity of honey (p < 0.05). The admixture of syrup and invert (p < 0.05) reduced the viscosity of liquid phase of delaminated honey in a dose-dependent manner. In the study, artificially adulterated honeys were controlled using the standard differential scanning calorimetry, DSC. In all adulterated honeys, a specific glass transition, TG, was observed in the range of 34-38.05 °C, which was not observed for control honey and pure adulterants. Moreover, the additional T_gs were observed in a wide range from -19.5 °C to 4.10 °C for honeys adulterated by syrup only. In turn, the T_g in range of 50.4-57.6 °C was observed only for the honeys adulterated by invert. These specific T_g seem to be useful to detect honey adulteration and to identify the kind of adulterant used.

Insight into the Recent Application of Chemometrics in Quality Analysis and Characterization of Bee Honey during Processing and Storage

The application of chemometrics, a widely used science in food studies (and not only food studies) has begun to increase in importance with chemometrics being a very powerful tool in analyzing large numbers of results. In the case of honey, chemometrics is usually used for assessing honey authenticity and quality control, combined with well-established analytical methods. Research related to investigation of the quality changes in honey due to modifications after processing and storage is rare, with a visibly increasing tendency in the last decade (and concentrated on investigating novel methods to preserve the honey quality, such as ultrasound or high-pressure treatment). This review presents the evolution in the last few years in using chemometrics in analyzing honey quality during processing and storage. The advantages of using chemometrics in assessing honey quality during storage and processing are presented, together with the main characteristics of some well-known chemometric methods. Chemometrics prove to be a successful tool to differentiate honey samples based on changes of characteristics during storage and processing.

Influence of Stirring Parameters on Creaminess of Spring Blossom Honey Measured by Crystal Size, Whiteness Index and Mouthfeel

Spring blossom honey from regions with many rape fields tends to crystalize rapidly after harvesting. The crystallization process needs to be controlled by stirring in order to avoid the formation of coarse crystals and to ensure the creaminess of honey. The aim of this study was to investigate how various parameters of the stirring process influence the creaminess of spring blossom honey in order to give recommendations for beekeeping practices. The creaminess was quantified by measuring the crystal size by microscopic analysis, measuring the whiteness index by color analysis using CIE Lab and by sensory analysis. We investigated the influence of five stirring parameters, including the type of stirring device, honey pretreatment, stirring temperature (14 °C to room temperature), stirring interval (1 to 24 times) and stirring time (1-15 min) on the creaminess of honey. We found that the stirring temperature is the most important factor for honey creaminess. At the optimal temperature of 14 °C, other factors like seed honey, stirring time and stirring interval have only a neglectable effect. If the optimal temperature of 14 °C cannot be maintained, as it may happen in beekeepers' practice, sieving the honey with a mesh size of 200 µm before stirring, the addition of seed honey prepared with a kitchen food processor, and using a stirring screw and stirring several times per day is recommended.

Analytical Rheology of Honey: A State-of-the-Art Review

Honey has been used as a nutraceutical product since ancient times due to its nutritional and medicinal properties. Honey rheology influences its organoleptic properties and is relevant for processing and quality control. This review summarizes the rheological behaviour of honeys of different botanical source(s) and geographical locations that has been described in the literature, focusing on the relation between rheological parameters, honey composition (moisture, water activity, sugar content, presence of colloidal matter) and experimental conditions (temperature, time, stress, shear rate). Both liquid and crystallized honeys have been addressed. Firstly, the main mathematical models used to describe honey rheological behaviour are presented highlighting moisture and temperature effects. Then, rheological data from the literature regarding distinct honey types from different countries is analysed and results are compared. Although most honeys are Newtonian fluids, interesting shear-thinning and thixotropic as well as anti-thixotropic behaviour have been described for some types of honey. Rheological parameters have also been successfully applied to identify honey adulteration and to discriminate between different honey types. Several chemometric techniques have also been employed to obtain the complex relationships between honey physicochemical and rheological properties, including partial least squares (PLS), principal component analysis (PCA) and artificial neural networks (ANN).