Rheological and thermal properties of selected brazilian honeys from various floral origins

Abstract

The rheological and thermal properties of honeys have a practical importance for beekeepers and industries, as their determination allows their proper processing and quality control. However, few studies have been carried out in this area with Brazilian honeys. Therefore, physicochemical, rheological and thermal properties of 40 Brazilian honeys of different floral origins were determined in this study. All the physicochemical properties indicated that the analyzed honey samples met the criteria for honeys established by Codex Alimentarius. The honeys showed non‐Newtonian behavior from 10C to 15C and Newtonian behavior from 20C to 30C with the influence of temperature on viscosity and on the viscous modulus (G″) described by the Arrhenius models. Oscillatory rheological data revealed a liquid‐like behavior (G″> elastic modulus (G′)) of the honeys. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the honeys varied between −46.7C and −43.7C. By the principal component analysis (PCA), the first component explained 70.0% of the variation of the data, forming two groups described by moisture content, aw, viscosity (10C to 30C), G″ and Tg. This analysis confirms the important influence of the moisture content and of aw in the rheological and thermal properties of honeys and provide useful information for the industrialization of honey and honey‐based products.