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Diastase is an enzyme that is found naturally in honey and degrades over time, especially when exposed to heat. Diastase can be used to indicate the age and exposure of honey to heat. However, they play a very significant role in honey quality. This study aimed to assess the diastase levels of different floral honey in potential areas of the Oromia region. In this study diastase activity, free acidity, and pH contents of different floral kinds of honey of potential areas in the Oromia region of Ethiopia were investigated based on the IHC- 2009- method. The honey pollen spectra were also characterized. When compared to other flora honey collected from the study area, the diastase activity of Erica arborea honey revealed significantly different (p < 0.05). It ranged from 4.61 ± 1.50 to 12.75 ± 4.78 Schade unit. The results of the pH value and free acidity analyses test demonstrated that the honey samples used in this investigation were fresh which ranged from 3.22 ± 0.13 to 4.17 ± 0.97 and 22.43 ± 6.37 to 35.10 ± 10.51 meq/kg honey, respectively. Honey bees’ geographical race, location and harvesting time affected diastase activities. However, it was not possible to identify the real factor influencing its diastase activities which needs further study at different agroecologies for different floral kinds of honey of the country.

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The study was designed to characterize the Physico-chemical and microbiological properties of stingless bee honey (Meliponula beccarii L.) in the Oromia Region, Ethiopia. About thirty-nine (39) honey samples were collected from underground soils through an excavation of natural nests. The study revealed that the mean values of physicochemical parameters for honey samples were: moisture content (30.69±0.29), ash content (0.16±0.01), electrical conductivity (0.44±0.2), pH (3.30±0.03), free acidity (92.39±4.45), HMF (6.58±0.36), fructose (36.48±0.54), glucose (27.67±0.43), sucrose (1.24±0.18), maltose (1.2±0.18) and reducing sugar (64.15±0.75). Stingless bee honey in this study is characterized as possessing higher moisture content and free acidity, but a lower level of sugar as compared to Apis mellifera honey standard. The occurrence of microorganisms in the stingless honey sample ranged from 2.55 x 104to 1.9 x 103CFU/ml for Aerobic Mesophilic, 1.68 x104to 9 x102CFU/ml for yeast, and 1.8 x103to 2 x102CFU/ml for mold. The number of aerobic spore-forming bacteria was at non-detectable levels in all samples while Staphylococci species was detectable only in a sample obtained from Guduru. This indicated that there might be contamination during the harvesting, processing, and storage of stingless bee honey samples. The microbiological and physicochemical properties of stingless bee honey are different from those of A. mellifera honey and need to establish for specific quality standards to promote its commercialization.

Beverages containing alcohol are fermented from the sugars in fruits, berries, grains, and such other ingredients as plant saps, tubers, honey, and milk and may be distilled to reduce the original watery liquid to a liquid of much greater alcoholic strength. Fermented honey drinks may have been the earliest alcoholic beverages known to man. The aim of this work was to contribute to filling the gap of low brewing technology knowledge and scientific knowledge for an innovative application of honey in the beer and liquors industry. In this study honey beverages were formulated using different amount of honey with spices, yeast, hop, fruit, alcohol with different alcohol contents, herbs like cinnamon, clove, ginger, vanilla, fruits and maize and finger millet grain ingredients. Quality assessment of the products were assessed concerning physicochemical analysis, microbiological analysis, sensory evaluation of the formulations, estimation of shelf-life and cost and yield of the products to characterize the honey beverages three different liquors and nine beer beverages produced from honey and other different ingredients. The pH, total acidity, total soluble solid and ethyl acohol contents of the formulated honey beverages were range from 3.8±0.03 to 6.1±0.010, 1.63±0.06 to 21.0±1.63, 21.30±0.56 to 36.87±0.50 and 4.81±0.17 % to 44.10±0.50 %, respectively. Liquors and beers can be formulated from honey and other ingredients to involve unemployed young as entrepreneurs to increase their income. Keywords: Honey Beverages; Honey Beer; Honey Liquor; Sensory; Physicochemical; Microbiological properties