Honey - Sweeteners: Nutritional Aspects, Applications, and Production Technology - page 138

table 5.12 honey-apple Fruit Gel Formulations

Formulations (honey Solids)

Ingredients
pectin/Sucrose Solution

50% 100%

Pectin 0.35 0.65

Sucrose 0.35 0.65

Water 12 12.5

Other ingredients
Apple juice concentrate 14 14.5
Citric acid 0.2 0.2
Sucrose 33.3 0
Honey 35 70
Water 0 5.5
Source: Adapted from NHB, Honey Fruit Spreads: Formulation,
Production and Stability of Commercially Viable Honey Fruit
Spreads , National Honey Board, Longmont, Co, 1995.

• Waterisboiledinakettle.

• Apectin/sucrosemixtureisdissolvedintheboilingwater.

• Concentratedapplejuiceisadded.

• Honeyandsucrosearemixed,andcitricacidisadded.

• Thesolutionisboiledfor1minandthenpouredintocontainersforcoolingandstorage.

Sensoryevaluationindicatestheadditionofhoneysolidstotheformulacausedadarkercolor-
ation,increasedsweetnessandintensityexpressedinlavortartness,andaslightgelbreakdown.
The higher honey content differed minimally in quality, stability, and acceptability compared to
productscontaininglowerhoneylevels.

5.14.4 honey in Spreads

Severalspreadslackstabilityduringstorageanddistribution.Thus,researchtendstodevelop
spreadproducts(e.g.,fruitandpeanut)withimprovedstabilityandacceptablesensorycharacteris-
ticsbyutilizingvarioustypesofhoneysbasedonthefollowingobjectives:

• Tooptimizehoneycontentasamajorsweetener

• Toreducebrowningandlavorlossduringproductionandstorage

• Todeterminenaturalstabilizers(e.g.,gumsandpectins)fortheproductionofdesirableconsistency

• Tooptimizethemoistureleveloftheinishedproductswithminimalprocessing

Honey(6%-20%)isoftenusedinpeanutbutterspreadformulationstoimproveconsistency,accen-
tuatethelavor,andincreaseconsumerappeal.Experimentalindings,accordingtotheNationalHoney
Board,haveshownhoney-peanutbutterspreadcontainingvariouslevelsofhoneyandthreedifferent
levelsofsalt(1%,1.5%,and2%)showednosigniicantdifferenceatthehoneylevel(Figure5.6).
Anothertypeofspreadis“gourmet,”whichisusedfortastytoppings(bagelsandicecreams)
andforlavorfulillings(bakedproducts).Mostofthesehoneyspreadsareusuallypreferablewhen
theycontainnutsandnotonlylavor.

5.14.5 reduced-Fat honey Spreads

Reduced-fat honey spreads are favorable in many food categories, including bagels, special
breads,andotherbakedproducts.Althoughtheseproductsarepopularaccompanimentstomany