We never heat honey with microwaves, because of destruction of the enzyme
invertase.  Our governmental food policy will confiscate the >destroyed<
honey, because we have a prescribed minimum level of invertase in our codex
for honey (honey codex from the European community).
Peter Fruehwirth
queen breeding station for the Originally Austrian Carniolian Queens
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> -----Ursprungliche Nachricht-----
> Von:  Seppo Korpela [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Gesendet am:  Montag, 26. Janner 1998 15:31
> An:   [log in to unmask]
> Betreff:      Re: Microwaves and enzymes...
>
> > Does anyone know of research related to the potential destruction of
> > the various measurable enzymes of honey caused by microwaves?
> >
> >   (\      Nick Wallingford
> >  {|||8-   [log in to unmask]
>
> There was an article in Deutsches Bienen-Journal 3: 78-82 by Werner von
> der Ohe/Katharina von der Ohe in 1992 entitled "Honigqualitat: der
> Einfluss der Temperatur [Honey quality: the effect of temperature]." The
> authors report on their experiments on heating honey either in a water
> bath at 40, 50 or 60 deg. C  or with microwaves. The changes in HMF
> content and in contents of the enzymes invertase, amylase and glucose
> oxidase were recorded.  The heating at 40 deg. C for 24 h caused neither
> decrease of enzyme content nor an inrease of HMF content. Treatment with
> microwawes caused a slight increase in the HMF content but almost a
> total loss of the enzymes.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Seppo Korpela
> Agricultural Research Center of Finland
> Plant Production Research
> Plant Protection
> FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
> Phone  INT + 358 3 4188 576
> FAX    INT + 358 3 4188 584
> E-mail [log in to unmask]
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------