Determination of invertase in honey
What you need to know about the determination of invertase in honey?
Honey contains small amounts of different enzymes, the most important being diastase, invertase, glucose oxidase, catalase, and acid phosphatase. During the honey production process, bees secrete the enzyme invertase, which breaks down sucrose into glucose and fructose, which are the main sugars in honey.
This process – and consequently the amount of enzymes – depends on various factors such as age, diet and fitness of the bees, the dynamics of the colony, temperature, etc.
Determining the activity of enzymes can be a way of detecting adulteration in honey, as adulterated honeys will show low activity values. In addition, diastase and invertase are widely used in Europe as parameters for determining the freshness of honey, as their action is reduced in old honeys or in honeys that have been heat-treated.
Fresh and unheated honeys are expected to have invertase activity values > 70 U/kg.
There is no minimum activity level for invertase in honey required by law, however, the determination of invertase activity in honey is often necessary in order for the honey to become commercially available.
Trust the well-trained staff of our laboratory for the honey analyses you need, always in accordance with the current Greek and European legislation.
Contact Interfind by email or phone to find out about the chemical honey analyses provided as well as the cost of the services offered.
