NATURAL HONEY AND CREAM HONEY QUALITY COMPARISON BY PHYSICOCHEMICAL INDICATORS AND POLLEN COMPOSITION

The aim of the study is to compare the quality of natural honey and creamed honey in terms of physicochemical parameters and pollen composition. Objectives: to study the physicochemical parameters of creamed honey, such as the mass fraction of water, the mass fraction of reducing sugars and sucrose, and the diastase number to determine the quality of the obtained product; to analyze honey for pollen composition. The following samples were studied: natural honey produced in the Republic of Tatarstan (9 samples); creamed honey samples purchased in retail trade, and a sample of creamed honey obtained by us in the laboratory. The paper presents the results of studies of natural honey and creamed honey in terms of physicochemical parameters and pollen composition. The physicochemical parameters of creamed honey, such as the mass fraction of water, the mass fraction of reducing sugars and sucrose, and the diastase number, were studied. Natural honey always contains flower pollen, thus, pollen impurities in honey determine the degree of its purity. Using microscopy, the presence of pollen grains in the test samples was determined, thereby confirming the botanical origin of the honey. All samples submitted for testing corresponded to natural flower honey. However, in sample № 8, an excess of the sucrose mass fraction indicator was found, which may indicate the immaturity of honey or the artificial introduction of sugar. Creamed honey purchased in retail, according to the results of the studies, turned out to be unnatural honey, presumably, various ingredients were added to the creamed honey, which may have improved the taste and appearance, but converted the honey into a confectionery product. In the samples of purchased creamed honey, pollen grains were found in single copies, which is unacceptable for natural honey. Also, its diastase number is below the standard value, the sucrose mass fraction indicator also does not correspond to the norm for flower honey. When receiving creamed honey produced from high-quality honey (in laboratory conditions), the physicochemical quality indicators of the manufactured product did not change.