Activities

(see additional information field)

Additional information

The TOPHONEY project developed a heat-free alternative to honey processing. It first identified the most important honey quality factors, which included hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), which is an indicator of excessive heat treatment in honey, enzymes that are destroyed during pasteurisation and glucose crystal size.



The project developed and tested an industrial cell based on the application of mechanical compression forces that lead in the fragmentation and destruction of honey crystals which act as crystallisation nuclei whilst retaining the most important quality parameters of raw honey. Compared to pasteurization, the project found that with this new developed technology:



* the honey reached only 55ºC (instead of 80ºC)



* HNF do not suffer any change after treatment (compared to 4-20 mg/kg with pasteurization)



* Diastase enzyme does not suffer any decrease (compared to 98% with pasteurization)



* Invertase enzyme reduced by less than 10% (compared to 100% with pasteurization)



The new cell developed has been tested both at laboratory level and at industrial scale at the facilities of the Spanish Beekeeping Cooperative. The project estimates that the new treatment could deliver a 10% premium (for high quality and long shelf life) for processed honey sold to the consumer and the retailer, and a 5% premium (for high quality and no need for melting) for processed honey sold to the industry or wholesaler.

http://www.tophoney.eu/