Honey, one of nature’s most exquisite and versatile treasures, carries a history that spans thousands of years. Evidence of its ancient roots can be found in an 8,000-year-old cave painting in Spain, illustrating early honey harvesting.1 Across civilisations, honey has been cherished not only as a delicious and nourishing food but also as a powerful medicine and a timeless symbol of sweetness, abundance, and prosperity.
Honey’s natural sweetness comes from monosaccharides, such as glucose and fructose. It is a viscous liquid with moisture content ranging from 17% to 20%.2 These moisture levels play a crucial role in determining honey’s stability against fermentation and crystallisation.
Flavourtech, an Australian technology manufacturer specialising in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries, has been supporting honey producers in creating high-quality honey enjoyed by consumers across the globe. The company’s unique technologies aid in maintaining optimal moisture content crucial for the longevity and enjoyment of the product.
Honey in India: a rich tradition
Honey and beekeeping have a long-standing history in India due to the country’s diverse flora. With more than 500 flowering plant species, India offers immense potential for honey production. Both wild and cultivated plants provide nectar and pollen that support the thriving beekeeping industry. Subsequently, a large variety of honey types, each with distinct flavours and characteristics exist in India with some of the most well-known varieties, including mustard honey, eucalyptus honey, lychee honey, sunflower honey, pongamia honey, multi-flora Himalayan honey, acacia honey, wild flora honey, and multi or mono floral honey3
The major honey-producing states in India include Uttar Pradesh (17%), West Bengal (16%), Punjab (14%), Bihar (12%), and Rajasthan (9%)3. These regions, with their varied climates and rich ecosystems, contribute significantly to the country’s honey industry.
India is not only a leading producer of honey but also a significant exporter. In the fiscal year 2023-2024, India exported 107,960 metric tons of natural honey, valued at $177.52m. Key export destinations include the USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Libya, reflecting the global appeal of Indian honey.3
Processing honey for purity and quality
The process of turning raw honey into a market-ready products involves several crucial steps:
- Harvesting and transport of raw honey
Beekeepers collect honeycomb frames from the hive and transport them to the processing facility. - Liquefaction of granulated honey
If the honey has crystallised, it is gently heated to liquefy the granules. - Straining and filtration
The honey is filtered to remove any remaining wax particles or impurities. - Moisture reduction and pasteurisation
Honey is heated to reduce moisture content, ensuring it remains stable, and fermentation is prevented. This step is crucial in maintaining the honey’s shelf life. - Cooling and bottling
After pasteurisation, the honey is cooled, bottled, and labelled for sale.
The importance of moisture control in honey
Moisture content is a key factor in determining honey’s quality. Honey with a high moisture content is prone to fermentation, which is why reducing moisture through controlled heating is essential. The heating process ensures that the honey’s water content is safely reduced to below 20%, preventing fermentation by sugar-tolerant yeasts.
In modern honey processing, one of the most innovative technologies used to reduce moisture content and improve the overall quality of honey is Flavourtech’s Centritherm evaporator. This advanced technology is essential in ensuring the honey remains stable, has a long shelf life, and is free from fermentation and crystallisation. This technology also prevents an increase in HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural) levels which is a common challenge for honey producers.
The Centritherm evaporator is a revolutionary technology for precise moisture removal from heat-sensitive and viscous liquids. The unit is a thin-film, spinning cone evaporator that operates under vacuum, making it exceptionally gentle and efficient at moisture/solvent removal. The Centritherm evaporator employs centrifugal force under vacuum through rotating cones, to produce a thin layer (approximately 0.1mm) of product on the heated surface, resulting in a contact, or residence, time of only one second.
Key benefits of the Centritherm evaporator for honey processing
- Efficient moisture reduction for improved shelf life
By effectively reducing the moisture content to below the critical threshold (less than 20%), the Centritherm evaporator plays a key role in increasing the shelf life of honey. This is crucial in a commercial setting, where honey needs to remain stable over time and be able to withstand the challenges of shipping and storage without unwanted fermentation or crystallisation. The unique technology is continuous in its operation with various options for automation, ensuring fast and efficient evaporation while preserving product quality. - Minimal thermal impact for a high-quality product
One of the most significant advantages of the Centritherm evaporator is its ability to operate at low temperatures (below 45oC) and with short residence times. The system works under vacuum conditions, which lowers the boiling point of the liquid and allows for evaporation at lower temperatures than traditional methods. In addition to this, products are in contact with the heated surface for such a short time that there is very little thermal impact on the product itself. This low thermal impact ensures that the honey’s natural enzymes, antioxidants, and beneficial compounds are preserved as well as ensuring that no burnt or caramelised flavours exist. - Ability to process highly viscous products
Highly viscous products with viscosities of up to 20,000 cP, can be safely concentrated using the Centritherm evaporator, making it an ideal solution for efficiently handling thick, delicate substances, like honey. The technology is designed with stringent manufacturing requirements, including a Clean-In-Place (CIP) system, to ensure optimal performance and continuous processing.
Flavourtech’s Spinning Cone Column can also help
In addition to the Centritherm evaporator, Flavourtech offer their flagship Spinning Cone Column (SCC) technology. This technology is used around the world for the extraction of natural flavours from tea, coffee, fruit and vegetables, as well as the removal of undesirable aromas from a variety of products. The SCC is currently gaining popularity for the production of high-quality aqueous honey flavours. The unique design of this technology again enables viscous products, like honey, to be processed with minimal thermal impact, preserving the raw material’s delicate natural flavours. Premium honey flavours captured by the SCC are used by food and beverage manufacturers to enhance products naturally, elevating taste profiles across a wide range of applications. For further information on the SCC please contact sales@flavourtech.com
The future of honey processing with the Centritherm® evaporator
As the global demand for honey continues to grow, producers are looking for ways to process and preserve their products more efficiently while maintaining high quality. The Centritherm evaporator offers an efficient, gentle, and environmentally friendly method of reducing moisture content while maintaining the natural properties of honey. The low operating temperature, minimal thermal impact, ability to handle viscous products and quick processing times of this innovative technology, ensures that the honey retains its unique flavour, aroma, and health benefits.
For manufacturers looking to elevate and differentiate their honey product offerings while maintaining the highest quality, Flavourtech’s Centritherm® evaporator is the clear choice.
For more information, download the free whitepaper below.
- https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/ara-caves-0015539
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3730891/
Rheological Properties of Honey and its Application on Honey Flow Simulation through Vertical Tube, N Bambang et al 2019 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 334 012041
