EFFECT OF TEMPORARY THERMIC TREATMENTS ON THE QUALITY OF SOME EGYPTIAN BEE HONEYS

Three honey types 01 different botanical origin wer!:: ~eated in a water bath at40·C.
50·C. and 60'C for half, one and two hours. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), enzymes
activity. including diastase. invertase. and catalase, and both proline content and electrical
conductivity (EC) were determined for all samples before and after heating treatments.
The obtained results indicated an increase 01 HMF content with increasinq temperature
degree and period with different ratios according to honey types. For all enzymes under
study, there was a tendency of activity declining with increasing of heating temperature
and period. After two hours of exposure period at 60'C. the rate of activity declining was
greater in catalase (87%) than diastase (63%) and invertase (56%). Proline content as
well as electrical conductivity did not show sensitivity towards both healing temperature
and period.