Influence of temperature and homogenization on honey crystallization

Abstract

SummaryThis work aimed to verify the influence of prior homogenization and storage temperature on the crystallization of honey. Honeys from Campos Gerais, PR Brazil, were used for the experiments. The samples were subjected to homogenization at 0, 180, 360 and 540 rpm for 15 minutes and stored at 15 °C or 25 °C. Crystallization was monitored by the colour, absorbance at 660 nm and moisture analysis. At the end of the experiment, the crystal sizes were determined by optical microscopy and laser diffraction. It could be observed that the samples kept at 15 °C and homogenized by agitation at 360 or 540 rpm showed crystal formation after 7 days of storage, while all the samples stored at 25 °C showed crystal formation after 20 days. It was also observed that the effect of temperature was much more pronounced than that of mechanical agitation during homogenization. All the samples stored at 15 °C developed crystals that were smaller than 20 μm.Key words: Size distribution; Crystals; Honey. ResumoO objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a influência da homogeneização prévia e da temperatura de armazenamento na cristalização do mel. Mel da região dos Campos Gerais/PR (Brasil) foi usado para os experimentos. As amostras foram submetidas a homogeneização sob agitação de 0, 180, 360 ou 540 rpm por 15 minutos e armazenadas a 15 °C ou 25 °C. A cristalização foi monitorada por meio de análises de cor, absorbância a 660 nm e umidade. Ao final dos experimentos, o tamanho dos cristais formados foi determinado por microscopia ótica e difração a laser. Pode-se observar que as amostras mantidas a 15 °C homogeneizadas sob agitação de 360 e 540 rpm apresentaram formação de cristais após 7 dias de armazenamento, enquanto todas as amostras armazenadas a 25 °C formaram cristais após 20 dias de armazenamento. Observou-se que a temperatura teve um efeito mais pronunciado na cristalização do que a agitação durante a etapa de homogeneização. Todas as amostras armazenadas a 15 °C apresentaram cristais menores que 20 μm.Palavras-chave: Distribuição de tamanho; Cristais; Mel.

Thai creamed honey: enthalpy of crystal melting and texture profile under different storage conditions

“…∆H m in creamed wild honey was 13.56 and 6.68 J/g on day 1 and 30, respectively, which decreased when the storage time increased. This result is similar to the report of Zamora and Chirife (2006) and Costa et al (2015) in which the solubility of glucose increased, and the tendency to crystallise was low when the temperature increased. This also explains the slow crystal growth in all types of honey at 25°C (Nurul Zaizuliana et al, 2017).…”

Effect of freezing and room temperatures storage for 18 months on quality of raw rapeseed honey (Brassica napus)

“…Some authors pointed the possibility of using WI as an indicator of the presence of crystals in honey. Costa et al (2015) reported that samples stored at 15°C for 34 days contained more small crystals than those stored at 25°C. Furthermore, the WI of samples stored at 15°C were higher than those stored at 25°C.…”

Physicochemical characteristics of Malaysian honeys influenced by storage time and temperature

“…honey is contributed by the presence of crystal [25]. When crystallization occurs, the granulation might increase the absorbance value leading to the increase in the turbidity of honey as it becomes opaque [12]. Turbidity for all honey samples were significantly differences when stored at different storage temperature during storage time (P < 0.05).…”

“…The liquid honey will become opaque due to the presence of glucose crystals making resulting in an increase in the absorbance value at 660 nm [12]. The acceptability of the consumers significantly reduced when the turbidity of honey increased as a result of crystallization process [3].…”