Worth knowing information about honey
Honey analysis
With the honey analysis different tests with Honigen are accomplished, which are consulted particularly for the quality regulation. Dealt in the following one with research methods at the national institute for bee customer to be accomplished.
- sensor technology
Color: The color is an important
characteristic different honey places. Honigtauhonige are always darker than Bluetenhonige.
Farbpalette of Honigen
Smell and taste: Smell and taste of the honey must
correspond to its botanischen origin. Sort peculiarnesses are to be tolerated.
Consistency: Honey is either clearly high-viscosity or
fine-rigidly crystallizes to be. Rough crystallization is considered as quality shortfall, just like set off Kandierung. See also within the range honey quality: Fig. 10: Quality shortfall "
- electrical conductivity
Honigtauhonige have from nature more mineral
materials than Bluetenhonige and exhibit therefore a higher electrical conductivity. Fig.8: 
Electrode for conductivity measurement
- water content
Since the Verderbnisanfaelligkeit of the honey
with rising water content increases, the following values may not be exceeded:
· German honey regulation: 21 %, (clover and heath honey 23 %), German beekeeper federation (DIB): 18 %. the measurement can
be made with a refractometer or with an analyzer.
- enzymes
Enzymes react very sensitively on warming and
light influences you are considered therefore as indicators for inappropriate heating up and storage.
- HMF content
Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is formed by thermal effect. The quantity depends on the temperature and on the duration of the heating up. Honige should be coolly stored therefore.
- microscopic analysis
On the basis the number and kind of the polling grains the sort and origin can be determined by Honigen. Sporen and Hyphen of soot rope mushrooms as well as algae are indicators for honey rope. Microscopic pictures of pollen.
- collection of the fermentation on the basis chemical parameters
Goals: Osmophile (sugar-loving) yeasts are always contained in the honey and can increase with appropriate output conditions. Favorable conditions are a high water content, a high wasseraktivitaet of the Honige and bad storage conditions. The consequence of it is the honey fermentation (fermentation by yeasts). This leads to the fact that the honey is negotiable as baking honey only. The initial stage of the decay is characterized by a fruchtigen taste, which changes later into a beer-like flavour with gasification (see: "Schaumgaeriger honey")
At present the recognition of gaeriger Honige takes
place still via a purely sensory evaluation, since a fermentation beginning cannot be identified yet by chemical parameters. This estimate by the examiner is subjective and with errors afflicted.
For this reason stoffwechselprodukte of the osmophilen yeasts are to be consulted for the identification.
Methods: In order to seize the change of the honey by the fermentation, different honey samples three honey places the bloom honey, honey rope honey and Edelkastanienhonig with different wasseraktivitaeten were manufactured and inoculated these with the osmophilen yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii
The honey samples were stored with 25 °C over 11
months in the warming cupboard and the fermentation process on the basis by keimzahl and ethanol content was seized. The degree of the fermentation rose with increasing wasseraktivitaet. The honey samples were examined afterwards with a Headspace gas chromatograph.
Here honey was weighed in closely lockable Glae.
After its heating up a gasprobe was inferred from the head area (headspace) of the Glaeschens and injected in the gas chromatographs.
Over the duration of 11 months produced, control
fermentierten honey samples became frozen and to be available further analytic investigations. In the further process of the investigation an examination by gas chromatography is to be made by excerpts. A suitable extraction and analysis method are for this compiled.
Provisional results: The easily
volatile fermentation products ethanol, acetaldehyde, Isobutanol, ethyl acetate, 2-Methylbutanol and 3-Methylbutanol could be proven.
That is made, in order to see the Bakterinwachstum.
Normally the sugar content is so large in the honey, which cannot grow due to the high osmotic potential a bacterium. However the wasseranteil in the honey does not tune in such a way can it to growth come nevertheless.