THE ROLE OF DIASTASE ACTIVITY IN HONEY QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF FACTORS AFFECTING IT

Abstract

This study is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the key factors affecting the activity of the diastase (α-amylase) enzyme in honey based on a systematic review of the literature. The dependence of diastase activity on storage duration and conditions, thermal processing, botanical origin, and physicochemical factors was examined using international scientific sources. The results demonstrated that diastase is a thermolabile enzyme: its activity progressively decreases with increasing temperature and prolonged storage time, with almost complete inactivation observed in the temperature range of 80–100 °C. Furthermore, an inverse relationship between diastase activity and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content was identified, indicating the deterioration of honey quality. The findings confirm that the combined use of diastase activity and HMF content serves as an effective комплекс indicator for honey quality assessment. In addition, a comparative analysis of analytical methods revealed that modern techniques, such as the Phadebas method and potentiometric approaches, provide higher accuracy and rapidity. The results obtained have significant scientific and practical implications for selecting optimal temperature regimes during honey processing and storage, as well as for determining product authenticity.

Keywords

Honey, diastase, α-amylase, diastase number (DN), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), thermal treatment, storage duration, enzyme inactivation, honey quality, authenticity, analytical methods.