α-amylase activity in freeze-dried and spray-dried honey

Abstract

Honey is a naturally supersaturated sugar solution, which tends to crystallize. The crystallization of honey can lead to unwanted fermentation that can have a negative impact to honey quality. The production of honey powder could be an alternative method to prevent honey from fermentation. Honey powder could be used as alternative substitute to liquid honey that would allow to use this product more widely in the food industry. α-amylase activity is one of the most important parameters to evaluate the quality of honey. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of freeze-drying and spray-drying on honey α-amylase activity. Detection of α-amylase activity was carried out by spectrophotometric method. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the content of hydroxymethylfurfural in the powders. The obtained results showed that both drying methods had a negative impact to the enzyme activity in the samples. The lowest activity of α-amylase (8.3 DN) was measured in the spray-dried honey powder. Concentration of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in the powders did not exceed required concentration 40 mg kg-1.

Changes in the Content of Phenolic Compounds in Honey After Spray Drying

“…Maltodextrin was used as a carrier to properly perform the drying process. The moisture content of the spray-dried honey sample was 4.8% (Keke and Cinkmanis, 2020). Overall, ten phenolic compounds were detected in the liquid honey sample.…”