Can you be confident that your storage facilities aren’t degrading the quality of your products? Fera Science can perform analysis on honey samples for diastase enzyme activity (diastase number) giving you the confidence in the quality of your product using the official Phadebas® assay for determination of diastase activity.

To give you reassurance in the quality of your products, or your suppliers products should you consider carrying out a Diastase test.  Diastase enzymes are found within a range of foodstuffs including honey, which can convert starch to short-chain sugars, e.g. for use as energy. Enzyme activity and levels are directly linked to storage and conditions such as exposure to heat.  Heating honey degrades diastase enzyme but can be used to artificially increase short-chain sugar levels within this foodstuff resulting in artificial changes in taste, most notably sweetness. 

EU Council Directive 2001/110/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to honey lists diastase enzyme activity as one of the key composition criteria that have to be determined for honey intended for human consumption.

Determination of diastase activity is performed using a photometric method in which an insoluble blue dyed cross-linked type of starch is used as a substrate.  When this is hydrolysed by the diastase enzyme it produces blue, water-soluble fragments, which can be measured photometrically at 620 nm.  The absorbance of the solution is therefore directly proportional to diastase activity of the sample.

Results are expressed as Gothe units (or DN, diastase number) per g of honey.  The DN is defined as the amount of enzyme that will convert 0.01 g of starch to the prescribed end-point in 1 hour at 40°C under test conditions.