Analytical Rheology of Honey: A State-of-the-Art Review

Abstract

Honey has been used as a nutraceutical product since ancient times due to its nutritional and medicinal properties. Honey rheology influences its organoleptic properties and is relevant for processing and quality control. This review summarizes the rheological behaviour of honeys of different botanical source(s) and geographical locations that has been described in the literature, focusing on the relation between rheological parameters, honey composition (moisture, water activity, sugar content, presence of colloidal matter) and experimental conditions (temperature, time, stress, shear rate). Both liquid and crystallized honeys have been addressed. Firstly, the main mathematical models used to describe honey rheological behaviour are presented highlighting moisture and temperature effects. Then, rheological data from the literature regarding distinct honey types from different countries is analysed and results are compared. Although most honeys are Newtonian fluids, interesting shear-thinning and thixotropic as well as anti-thixotropic behaviour have been described for some types of honey. Rheological parameters have also been successfully applied to identify honey adulteration and to discriminate between different honey types. Several chemometric techniques have also been employed to obtain the complex relationships between honey physicochemical and rheological properties, including partial least squares (PLS), principal component analysis (PCA) and artificial neural networks (ANN).

Effects of Extraction and Evaporation Methods on Physico-Chemical, Functional, and Nutritional Properties of Syrups from Barhi Dates (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

“…Rheological properties affect the flow characteristics, particularly the pourability and spoonability, of honey and honey-like products [ 38 ]. The rheograms of date syrups prepared using different conditions for juice extraction and evaporation are presented as Figure 3 .…”

Structural behavior, FTIR spectra of five Algerian honeys, and sensory acceptance of margarine enriched with honey

“…Figure 4a illustrates a decrease of η 50 of honeys with increasing temperature. This observation can be explained by the less molecular friction and reduced mean and hydrodynamic intermolecular forces (Faustino & Pinheiro, 2021). The chemical composition, mainly moisture, sugar content, and degree of crystallization, influences the viscosity of honey, and also the presence of other substances, such as proteins, polysaccharides, and other colloidal materials, can contribute to the rheological behavior of honey (Afonso et al., 2018).…”

“…The food industry is currently being challenged by technological innovation in the production and development of new safe and wholesome fat‐rich products, due to the global health and nutrition issues facing the population (Faustino & Pinheiro, 2021; Martinez‐Girón, 2022). New fat‐rich products must meet the health and nutritional requirements, the needs, and the gastronomic traditions of each country, consumption habits and technological aspects, and so forth (Silva et al., 2021).…”

Modification of rheological properties of animal and vegetable proteins treated with high‐intensity ultrasound: A review

“…Second, steady-state flow tests must be carried out, and the results obtained from them are adjusted to different mathematical flow models, which allow determining a relationship between stress, shear rate, strain, and time. Finally, to complete the rheology study, the samples typically must undergo oscillatory and creep measurements (Faustino & Pinheiro, 2021; Figure 3). et al, 2013).…”