The Effect of Honey Processing on the Proline Content

Honey is essentially a concentrated aqueous solution of invert sugar, but it also contains a very complex mixture of other carbohydrates, several enzymes, amino and organic acids, minerals, aroma substances, pigments, waxes, pollen grains, etc. The amino acids in honeys are attributable both to animal and vegetable sources, the major of these being pollen. Amino acids account for 1% (w/w), and proline is the major contributor with 50-85% of the total amino acids. In this study, the destructive effect of processing at 55°C for 1 hour on honey Proline has been studied. By the application of spectrophotometer at 510nm the Proline contents before and after processing have been determined and compared. The results of this study indicated that a reduction in Proline content was observed for all the samples and for the samples with high Proline content this wes significant. Proline's reduction in all the samples were observed due to the processing at 55°C for 1 hour. Consequently, processing at the higher temperatures caused higher reduction of Proline.