Food Chemistry

888 19 Sugars, Sugar Alcohols and Honey

ble 19.13), hence this enzyme is not a suitable in-
dicator of the thermally treatment of honey.

Catalasein honey most probably originates from
pollen which, unlike flower nectar, has a high ac-
tivity of this enzyme. Similarly, honeyacid phos-
phataseoriginates mainly from pollen, although
some activity comes from flower nectars.

19.2.1.5.4 Proteins

Honey proteins are derived partly from plants and
partly from honeybees. Figure 19.14 shows that
bees fed on sucrose provide proteins with less
complex patterns than, for example, cottonflower
honey.

19.2.1.5.5 Amino Acids

Honey contains free amino acids at a level of
100 mg/100 g solids. Proline, which might origi-
nate from bees, is the prevalent amino acid and is
50 −85% of the amino acid fraction (Table 19.15).
Based on several amino acid ratios, it is possible

Fig. 19.14.Protein profiles of two honey varieties as re-
vealed by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. (a) Cotton-
flower honey (b), honey from sugar-fed bees (according
toWhite, 1978)

Table 19.15.Free amino acids in honey

Amino mg/100 g Amino mg/100 g

acid honey (dry acid honey (dry

weight basis) weight basis)

Asp 3. 44 Tyr 2. 58

Asn + Gln 11. 64 Phe 14. 75

Glu 2. 94 β-Ala 1. 06

Pro 59. 65 γ-Abu 2. 15

Gly 0. 68 Lys 0. 99

Ala 2. 07 Orn 0. 26

Cys 0. 47 His 3. 84

Val 2. 00 Trp 3. 84

Met 0. 33 Unidentified

Met-O 1. 74 AA′s (6) 24. 53

Ile 1. 12

Leu 1. 03

Arg 1. 72

Total 118. 77

Fig. 19.15.Regional origin of honey as related to its

amino acid composition. (according toWhite, 1978)

Honey origin:Australia,•Canada,United States

(clover),◦Yucatan

to identify the geographical or regional origin of

honeys (Fig. 19.15).

19.2.1.5.6 Acids

The principal organic acid in honey is gluconic

acid, which results from glucose oxidase activity.