SYNTHETIC HONEY PREPARATION BY YEAST CELLS AND IMMOBILIZED YEAST CELLS FROM SALIVARY GLANDS OF HONEY BEES
Yeast from the salivary glands of honey bees Apis mellifera and Apis cerana was isolated and used for preparation of synthetic honey. Free as well as immobilized yeast cells of these two species were studied for efficiency in preparation of synthetic honey from sucrose solution. The solutions exhibited lowered pH and increased level of fructose and total amino acids. The content of synthetic honey increased with increase in the time of incubation till 48 hours and decreased thereafter. The obtained solution possessed properties similar to the natural honey.
Invertase activity in honey
The invertase activity was determined for 499 honeys (27 multifloral and 472 unifloral from Arbutus, Carduus, Castanea, Citrus, Erica, Eucalyptus, Hedysarum, Helianthus, Rhododendron, Robinia, Rosmarinus, Taraxacum, Thymus, Tilia, fir honeydew and honeydew produced by Met- calfa pruinosa), in order to determine its variability and establish the range characteristic for each honey type. The results show that invertase activity varies considerably in the different honey types (from less than 0.5 to more than 30 IN). Robinia, Arbutus, Citrus, Erica and Rosmarinus have the lowest values (usually less than 10) and the two honeydew honeys the highest (more than 18). The diastase content of the samples was also measured, to compare the content of the two enzymes, and a certain correlation was observed (r = 0.835, P < 0.001). The IN/DN ratio ranges from less than 0.1 to more than 2. The possible role of invertase and IN/DN ratio in honey quality evaluation is discussed. © Inra/DIB/AGIB/Elsevier, Paris
Diastase (α- and β-Amylase) and α-Glucosidase (Sucrase) Activity in Western Canadian Honeys
Abstract Forty-five different honeys obtained from the Western Canadian region were examined for α-glucosidase and diastase activity. Fresh honeys varied from 11.3 to 27.5 sucrose converted/100 g honey/h (mean, 18.6 ± 4.4) for α-glucosidase activity and 9.6 to 20.7 g starch hydrolysed/100 g honey/h (mean, 14.3 ± 3.4) for diastase activity. Stored raw and processed honeys had dramatically reduced α-glucosidase activity, but only moderately reduced diastase activity. The best measure for honey freshness seemed to be the ratio of α-glucosidase activity to diastase activity, which varied between 1.18 and 1.57 (mean, 1.31 ± 0.13) for fresh honeys, while older honeys had significantly lower values.