Assessment of diastase levels in different floral honey from Oromia region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Diastase is an enzyme that is found naturally in honey and degrades over time, especially when exposed to heat. Diastase can be used to indicate the age and exposure of honey to heat. However, they play a very significant role in honey quality. This study aimed to assess the diastase levels of different floral honey in potential areas of the Oromia region. In this study diastase activity, free acidity, and pH contents of different floral kinds of honey of potential areas in the Oromia region of Ethiopia were investigated based on the IHC- 2009- method. The honey pollen spectra were also characterized. When compared to other flora honey collected from the study area, the diastase activity of Erica arborea honey revealed significantly different (p < 0.05). It ranged from 4.61 ± 1.50 to 12.75 ± 4.78 Schade unit. The results of the pH value and free acidity analyses test demonstrated that the honey samples used in this investigation were fresh which ranged from 3.22 ± 0.13 to 4.17 ± 0.97 and 22.43 ± 6.37 to 35.10 ± 10.51 meq/kg honey, respectively. Honey bees’ geographical race, location and harvesting time affected diastase activities. However, it was not possible to identify the real factor influencing its diastase activities which needs further study at different agroecologies for different floral kinds of honey of the country.

Impact of floral and geographical origins on honey quality parameters in Saudi Arabian regions

“…The low diastase activity of the Jazan honey samples may be due to the hot climate of Jazan, the floral origin or presence of indigenous molecules that inhibit the diastase 10 , 28 , 29 . Furthermore, some studies reported very low activity of diatase in honey samples ranging from 0.00 to 2.5 which is far less than the standard activities of diastase in honey 30 – 32 . The university of Waikato published a Master thesis in which it concluded that manuka honey is characterized by low activities of diastase which may be due to presence of methylglyoxal or phenyllactic acid and suggested that the honey regulations may be not proper for the evaluation of Manuka honey 33 , 34 .…”

“…2 ). Meskele 30 and Tomczyk 44 concluded that the diastase activity is significantly different between honeys of different floral origins within the same geographical origin. (7) The floral origin had significant effect on the pH of the honey samples.…”