THE EFFECT OF STORAGE TIME ON THE HONEY QUALITY

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of foreign honeys purchased in the Slovak trade network during storage at temperatures of 4 and 20 °C. In the study, we monitored pH, electrical conductivity, colour intensity, water content, total soluble solids, free acidity, and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content. All honeys met the legislative requirements of the Slovak Republic and the European Union, except for the electrical conductivity of avocado honey (1.46 to 1.67 mS.cm^-1), while Slovak and European legislation sets a limit of 0.8 mS.cm^-1. The content of HMF in false acacia honey from Hungary reached the threshold value of 39.99 mg.kg^-1, while the legislation allows a maximum HMF content of 40 mg.kg^-1. In Spanish orange blossom honey, the HMF content was found to be from 25.49 to 59.84 mg.kg^-1 during storage. If this honey does not come from a tropical area, it exceeds the permitted limit of 40 mg.kg^-1, but if it comes from tropical areas, the honey meets the requirements of the legislation (max. 80 mg.kg^-1). In general, it can be stated that during storage at 4°C, there was a slower increase in HMF content than during storage at 20°C. During storage (3 and 6 months), honey darkened. By comparing the colour intensity during storage at different temperatures, it can be stated that when honey was stored at 20°C, it darkened faster than when stored at 4°C. During storage, there was a gradual decrease in free acidity and water content. Based on the results of our experiment, it is important to emphasize that when including all honey in the trade network, it is desirable that producers and distributors indicate on the packaging, in addition to the country of origin, its exact region of origin.