According to the honey directive published in the European Union countries, certain composition criteria have been determined for honeys intended for human consumption. Among these criteria, diastase enzyme activity, or diastase number, ranks first. Other criteria are sugar, moisture and water-insoluble content, electrical conductivity, free acid and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content. The International Honey Commission is an organization established to establish a world honey standard and strives to develop better and more accurate analysis methods of honey and other bee products. A number of validated and harmonized analysis methods have been developed for this purpose.
According to the honey directive, the following criteria must be met for the diastase activity of honey prepared for human consumption:
Diastase in honey converts starch into short-chain sugars and the activity of enzymes gives clues about possible heating or poor storage conditions. Heating honey degrades the enzyme, so the lowest values are specified in the honey directive.
In the US, diastase activity is controlled mainly to ensure low diastase values, since most of the honey supply is used in bakeries to mix it with starch-containing food ingredients. A high diastase count can cause poor bread texture.
Honey diastase testing is designed to determine the diastase activity in honey. Honey is marketed after undergoing certain processing techniques, such as heat treatment. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content, diastase and invertase activity are key quality control parameters for assessing overheating and freshness. HMF is a breakdown product formed by the acid-catalyzed dehydration of hexose sugar into fructose and diastase with increasing temperature. HMF is a significant component and an indicator of honey freshness, therefore, it is used to assess storage time and overheating. The diastase activity of honey is related to environmental conditions.
Diastase activity is calculated spectrophotometrically according to the International Honey Commission using a buffered starch and honey solution.
Our organization also provides diastase number determination services with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment, among the numerous test, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors.
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