Honey - Sweeteners: Nutritional Aspects, Applications, and Production Technology - page 129

Amongotheracidsfoundinhoney,therearearangeofaliphaticandaromaticacidswithan
importantcontributiontohoney'slavorandaromaproiles.ThelowpHofhoneyhascharacteristics
compatible with many low-acidity food products, inhibiting the presence and growth of micro-
organisms.Ontheotherhand,honeyhasafavorableapplicationinsauces,dressings,beverages,
condiments, and other acidic or sour manufactured food products and the ability to smooth the
lavorofacidicproductssuchaslemonjuiceandvinegar.

5.9.3 honey enzymes

Honey,unlikeothersweeteners,containsavarietyofenzymesinlowconcentrations.Diastase
(amylase),invertase(α-glucosidase),andglucoseoxidasearepredominant(GilliamandJackson1972).
Mostoftheseenzymesplayavirtualroleinnectartransferredintohoney,resultinginanarrayofvari-
ouscomponentsthatcontributetohoney'sfunctionality(Table5.6),e.g.,atransglycosylationactivity.
Levelsofdiastase(Gothescaleaveragevalueof21)orα-amylasevaryinhoney,dependingon
factors such as loral origin, pH, foraging patterns, and storage temperature exposure. Invertase
enzymeinactivatedbyheatinghydrolyzessucrosetofructoseandglucose.Glucoseoxidaseorigi-
natesinbees,playsaroleinhoneyformation,andoxidizesglucose,yieldinggluconolactones(glu-
conicacidformation)andhydrogenperoxide.

5.9.4 honey Color

Colorisanimportantcharacteristicuponwhichhoneyisclassiiedbygovernmentalagencies,
organizations,producers,andcustomers(Gonzales-Miretetal.2007).Forexample,theUSDAclas-
siieshoneyintosevencolorcategories,whichcanbedeterminedbythePfundcolor(PC)scale (in
millimeter)andopticaldensity(OD)asfollows(USDAAgriculturalMarketingService1985):

• Waterwhite(PC>8andOD=0.0945)

• Extrawhite(PC=9-17andOD=0.189)

• White(PC=18-34andOD=0.378)

• Extralightamber(PC=35-50andOD=0.595)

• Lightamber(PC=51-85andOD=1.389)

• Amber(PC=86-114andOD=3.008)

• Darkamber(PC>114andOD>3.008)

Thecolorofhoneycanbeassessedbyanumberofmethods,includingthePCgrader,CIE1976,
CIELAB,andAOACmethods.Forexample,theAOACusesaLovebird2000visualcomparator,
andthePCgradercomparesastandardamber-coloredglasswedgewithliquidhoney.Thecolor

table 5.6 enzymes and their Functionality in honey

enzyme Category Functionality
Diastase α -Amylase group Converts starch to other carbohydrates
Invertase α -Glucosidase group Converts sucrose to glucose and fructose
Glucose oxidase Peroxidases group Converts glucose to gluconic acid and peroxide
Catalase oxidoreductases group Converts peroxide to water and oxygen
Acid phosphatase — Removes phosphate from organic phosphate
β -Glucosidase — Converts β -glucans to glucose and
oligosaccharides
Esterase Hydrolases group Breaks down esters to other components
Protease Protein hydrolases group Hydrolyzes proteins to other peptides
Source: White, J.W. Jr., Adv. Food Res. 24, 288, 1978; Crane, E., A Book of Honey , Charles Scribners' Sons, New
york, 1980.