Long-term changes in naturally produced honey depending on processing and temperature

Profitability of beekeeping is one of the factors influencing the number of beekeepers and hence the number of managed honey bee colonies. Profitability of beekeeping can be increased by the production of high-quality honey, which sells better. Such a high-quality honey should conform not only to the requirements of legislation but also to the quality criteria of different beekeeper organizations and customer demands on honey as a premium natural product. In order to develop recommendations for improved honey production technology in conventional beekeeping, we analyzed the effect of honey processing and storage on honey quality. Four different honeys each were processed in three different ways and subsequently stored at constant temperatures 12 or 21 °C or at temperatures fluctuating between –12 and 33 °C. Organoleptic properties and physico-chemical parameters were evaluated before, during and after 2 years of storage. For each honey type, the different temperatures and processing variants resulted in nine completely different honey samples in respect of crystallization and color. Hydroxymethylfurfural increase and loss of invertase activity were the highest at 21 °C, as expected. However, extreme temperatures and temperature variations caused less damage to the honey than storage at room temperature. According to our investigations, a natural high-quality honey can be produced through homogenization of the honey to induce a fine granulation and a creamy texture and storage at constant cold temperature.