Method and device for processing honey

Abstract

A method for processing honey (4) is described, in which an initially liquid or partially crystallized honey (4) is provided, which is then set in a rotary movement at a rotational speed (16) in an airtight container (6) filled to a fill level, such that the resulting mechanical movement of the honey (4) prevents coarse crystalline growth, lattice-like growth, or interlocking of sugar crystals, and the mechanical mixing of the honey (4) in the container (6) leads to small-grain crystal growth. A device (2) for processing honey (4) is also described.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a device for processing honey.

[0002] Honey has long been valued as a food for human consumption in many cultures. To meet the demand for honey on a larger scale, beekeepers set up beehives in designated locations to care for bee colonies. Extracting honey from wild bee populations plays only a minor role. Honey is usually extracted from the honeycombs of beehives using a centrifuge.

[0003] In addition to the production of honey in larger quantities by agricultural businesses, small-scale production by hobby beekeepers or part-time farmers is also quite significant. However, the latter group in particular lacks sophisticated and expensive production facilities, so honey extraction is often done manually and is therefore time-consuming.

[0004] For human consumption, honey in a spreadable or creamy form is highly valued. This is achieved by mechanically crystallizing the honey to create a fine crystalline structure, but without exhibiting coarse grains that would be clearly noticeable in the consumer's mouth upon consumption. Furthermore, coarse honey, in which interlocking crystals have formed, has disadvantages regarding its removal from the container and its spreadability.

[0005] The 2005 publication "Honey Crystallization" by Dr. Werner von der Ohe, Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Institute of Bee Research, Celle, provides a detailed explanation of crystal formation in honey. Crystallization begins when the saturation concentration for a sugar is exceeded. Crystallization is also influenced by water content and temperature.

[0006] Conventional creaming of honey is usually done with a hand mixer or a mixer. Pumps are also used, or the honey is frozen for a long period of time.

[0007] Another option for processing honey is described in BR 10 2012 016 213 B1. This document refers to a honey extractor that features a thermostatic bath coupled to a rotating axis with a container mount and speed controller. The honey extractor can be used for decrystallizing honey, with the temperature of the thermostatic bath and the stirring speed of the honey containers being varied depending on the type of honey.

[0008] EP 2 709 466 A1 describes a method for treating honey in which a soft, spreadable honey product is formed by feeding the honey in raw, solid form through a lateral feed chute into a container defined by a vertical, rotating screw with a gap between the screw and the container. The screw flight drives the material to an outlet end of the container with a closed outlet valve at the outlet end to mix the honey in the container and cause the crystals to break and interact with each other to crush them, making them smooth and small. The mixing process is continued until the crystals in the honey are sufficiently broken to form the honey into a soft, spreadable honey product, and at no time is it carried out using heat and without filtering the product.

[0009] Starting from this state of the art, the inventors have now set themselves the task of specifying a simple but nevertheless reliable device for processing honey or of creating a corresponding method for producing fine-grained or creamy honey.

[0010] This object is achieved by the features of independent patent claims 1 and 12. Further advantageous refinements of the invention are each the subject of the dependent claims. These can be combined with one another in a technically meaningful way. The description, in particular in connection with the drawing, additionally characterizes and specifies the invention.

[0011] According to the invention, a method for processing honey is provided in which an initially liquid or partially crystallized honey is provided, which is then set in a hermetically sealed container filled to a fill level in a rotational movement at a rotational speed, so that the resulting mechanical movement of the honey prevents coarse crystalline growth, lattice-like growth or interlocking of sugar crystals and the mechanical mixing of the honey in the container leads to small-grained crystal growth.

[0012] Accordingly, the process according to the invention produces crystallized and fine-grained honey which is spreadable and leaves the consumer with a pleasant mouthfeel. This is achieved by mechanically mixing the honey so that the mechanical movement of the honey prevents coarse-grained or lattice-like growth or interlocking of sugar crystals. Mixing occurs through shearing of the honey due to rotation and gravity and leads to small-grained crystal growth. The starting point is liquid, partially candied honey or honey that has been liquefied by increasing the temperature, which also contains a small amount of crystallized honey. In addition to a constant, low rotation speed, a rotation speed that can be varied over time is also provided. The hermetically sealed vessel reduces orIt also prevents the hygroscopic honey from absorbing water and oxygen during processing in the device according to the invention. In the process according to the invention, the resulting mechanical movement of the honey prevents coarse-grained or lattice-like growth or interlocking of sugar crystals, or to a lesser extent, reverses this.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the method according to the invention, the rotation speed is continuously or gradually adapted to the viscosity of the honey during operation by reducing the rotation speed in accordance with the viscosity of the honey increasing during processing.

[0014] During the mechanical mixing of the honey by the rotation of the vessel, the proportion of small crystals increases, causing the viscosity of the honey to rise over time during operation of the device. The rotation speed of the vessel is adjusted accordingly by controlling the drive. In addition to continuous or step-by-step adjustment, for example, by changing the rotation speed by the user, adjustment can also be made to the viscosity of the honey.

[0015] According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the rotation speed of the closed vessel is controlled by means of a time-dependent reference curve, adjusted via a mechanical resistance of the drive (26), in particular via a current consumption of an electric motor, controlled by a user after assessment or at time intervals.

[0016] The rotation speed can be adjusted using a corresponding reference curve, which, for example, adjusts the rotation speed accordingly depending on the processing time. Alternatively, it is also conceivable for a user to correct the rotation speed accordingly after visually inspecting the processing status of the honey, based on their own experience or using provided reference tables. One evaluation criterion for a user can be the observed viscosity. If the honey is so viscous that it cannot settle at the current speed and a hole essentially forms in the middle, the speed must be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible for the rotation speed of the vessel to be controlled via a mechanical resistance of the drive, in particular via the current consumption of an electric motor.This procedure corresponds to an indirect measurement of the honey's viscosity via the change in mechanical resistance during rotation of the container. This is particularly advantageous for opaque containers.

[0017] According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the vessel is an intermediate container for processing in the device or a container intended for the end user.

[0018] This procedure allows the honey to be filled into the intermediate container. This allows the intermediate container to be optimized for operation in the device without having to take aesthetic aspects of a sales packaging into account. Alternatively, however, it is also possible to select the container as a container for the end user, so that additional processing steps for transferring the honey can be avoided, which could potentially introduce additional air, oxygen, water or impurities into the honey. Furthermore, honey in a honey jar that was not intended for creaming according to the procedure according to the invention can be subsequently creamed when crystallization begins, which is detectable by the honey becoming cloudy. This means that honey that is already on the market or in storage can be creamed.

[0019] According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the honey is introduced into the vessel in liquid or partially crystallized form at the beginning of processing. The honey can subsequently be stirred in commercially available containers until it becomes creamy as it crystallizes, particularly until it crystallizes completely.

[0020] The honey can be poured into the container while still liquid and then "stirred" into a creamy consistency by rotating the container. This eliminates the need for subsequent heating, which can damage the honey if the temperature is too high, for improved filling.

[0021] According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the mixing of the honey takes place in a temperature range from 0 °C to 30 °C, preferably up to 25 °C.

[0022] Above this temperature range, the tendency of the honey to crystallize decreases, making it difficult to stir until creamy or no longer possible due to the melting of the crystals.

[0023] According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, at the beginning of processing, the vessel is briefly rotated at high speed to incorporate air bubbles into the honey, whereby after the start of crystallization of the honey, the speed is reduced to the value corresponding to the viscosity.

[0024] Honey that has few crystal nuclei or whose sugar composition is not suitable for rapid crystallization would be unsuitable for processing according to the inventive method or would require long processing times. Using this embodiment of the inventive method, air bubbles are incorporated into the honey. The incorporated air bubbles allow the honey to crystallize more quickly, as they act as crystallization nuclei. The air bubbles are incorporated by initially rotating the vessel rapidly. Once crystallization has begun, the speed can then be reduced to the value corresponding to the viscosity, and the inventive method is continued as described above.Because the container is hermetically sealed during the incorporation of the air bubbles, no new oxygen is introduced into the honey, which could impair its quality or accelerate a possible fermentation process. As already mentioned above, the inventive method of mechanically mixing the honey in the hermetically sealed container also does not lead to any further water absorption.

[0025] According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the viscosity of the honey is determined based on its turbidity.

[0026] When crystallization begins, which is detectable by the honey becoming cloudy, the viscosity of the honey changes. This can be correlated with a trained eye of the beekeeper.

[0027] According to the invention, a device for processing honey is provided, which has an airtight container for receiving the honey, which container is partially filled with honey up to a fill level and can be moved about a rotation axis at a rotational speed by means of a rotating device driven by a drive, so that mechanical mixing of the honey in the container leads to small-grain crystal growth.

[0028] The process produces crystallized, fine-grained honey that is spreadable and leaves a pleasant mouthfeel for the consumer. This is achieved by mechanically mixing the honey, so that the mechanical movement of the honey prevents coarse-grained or lattice-like growth or interlocking of sugar crystals. Mixing occurs through shearing of the honey due to rotation and gravity, and leads to small-grained crystal growth. The starting point is liquid, partially candied, or honey that has been liquefied by increasing the temperature, which also contains a small amount of crystallized honey. In addition to a constant, low rotation speed, a rotation speed that can be varied over time is also provided. The hermetically sealed vessel reduces oralso prevents the water absorption of the hygroscopic honey as well as the oxygen absorption during processing in the device according to the invention.

[0029] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the vessel is arranged lying on a side wall or inclined on its bottom.

[0030] Experiments have shown that efficient mechanical mixing of the honey occurs when the honey-filled container is rotated around an axis tilted relative to the gravitational field vector. In a cylindrical container, the rotation preferably occurs along the outer circumference of the container, i.e., by tilting the container approximately 90° onto its side wall.

[0031] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the vessel is designed symmetrically about a longitudinal axis along an axial direction, wherein the axis of rotation and the longitudinal axis coincide or are parallel to each other.

[0032] The vessel can be rotated in various ways. In addition to the rotation along the outer circumference of a rotationally symmetric vessel described above, in which the longitudinal axis of the vessel and the axis of rotation coincide, a turntable on which one or more vessels are arranged can also be used. Alternatively, several vessels, tilted by approximately 90° relative to the longitudinal axis, can each be moved at a distance around a common axis of rotation.

[0033] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the rotation speed of the vessel is controlled via the drive by means of a time-dependent reference curve.

[0034] As already mentioned, the viscosity of the honey changes during processing. The rotation speed can be adjusted using a corresponding reference curve, which, for example, adjusts the rotation speed accordingly depending on the processing time. For this purpose, a corresponding table or similar can be stored in the drive's control circuit. The rotation speed can be adjusted both continuously and at certain time intervals using discrete values. Furthermore, it is possible for the rotation speed of the vessel to be controlled via a mechanical resistance of the drive, in particular via the current consumption of an electric motor.

[0035] This procedure corresponds to an indirect measurement of the honey's viscosity via the change in mechanical resistance during rotation of the container. This is particularly advantageous for opaque containers.

[0036] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the rotating device has two parallel shafts, one shaft being driven by the electric motor, the distance between the shafts being selected such that a vessel which is rotationally symmetrical about the longitudinal axis can be placed between the shafts and is set in rotation by the driven shaft.

[0037] The design of the rotating device makes it possible to set one or more vessels in a rotating motion in order to achieve the desired processing of the honey. Vessels of different external dimensions can be placed between the two parallel shafts. The non-driven shaft can be rotatably mounted in the rotating device so that it can move with the rotating movement of the vessel. Furthermore, the length of the two parallel shafts can be selected so that several vessels can be arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction. Finally, it is also conceivable to provide several sets of the two parallel shafts in the rotating device in order to be able to process a large number of vessels simultaneously. A device designed in this way can be constructed using just a few parts.This creates a cost-effective device that is particularly suitable for private individuals, such as hobby beekeepers, who typically don't want to make large investments in production equipment. Another advantage is that the honey jar can be placed on the device without any locking mechanism.

[0038] Below, some examples are explained in more detail using the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a first embodiment of the device according to the invention for processing honey in a schematic side view, Fig. 2 a second embodiment of the device according to the invention for processing honey in a schematic side view, Fig. 3 a third embodiment of the device according to the invention for processing honey in a schematic side view, and Fig. 4 a fourth embodiment of the device according to the invention for processing honey in a schematic side view.

[0039] In the figures, identical or functionally equivalent components are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0040] In Fig. Figure 1 schematically shows a first embodiment of a device 2 according to the invention for processing honey 4 in a side view. The device 2 comprises a vessel 6, which can be designed, for example, in the conventional manner as a cylindrical body, which can be closed by means of a screw cap (not shown). Fig. 1). The vessel 6 can also be the sales packaging that is later delivered to customers. Alternatively, it is also possible to use an intermediate container for the vessel 6, which is only used within the device 2. The vessel 6 is filled with honey 4 up to a fill level 8. The honey 4 is introduced into the vessel 6 in liquid form at the beginning of processing.

[0041] Vessel 6 is in Fig. 1 is arranged on a rotating device 10 such that it comes to rest along its circular outer circumference 12 on the rotating device 10. The rotating device 10 sets the vessel 6, via a suitable drive, which will be shown in more detail in the later embodiments, into a rotary movement about a rotation axis 14, which in the example shown coincides with the longitudinal axis 14' of the cylindrical vessel 6. The rotary movement about the rotation axis 14 causes the vessel 6 to have a rotational speed which in Fig. 1 is indicated by reference numeral 16. The rotational movement of the vessel 6 results in mechanical mixing of the honey 4 in the vessel 6, which leads to the growth of small-grained crystals in the honey 4. The small-grained crystal growth, in turn, changes the viscosity of the honey 4 during processing. This can be compensated for by changing the rotation speed 16. In the example shown, the axis of rotation 14 forms an angle to the gravitational field of the earth's gravity, which is typically 90°.

[0042] In Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention. In contrast to the embodiment of Fig. 1, this device 2 comprises a plurality of vessels 6, each arranged at the end of a pivot arm 20, wherein the pivot arms 20 can be rotated about the common axis of rotation 14. In the example shown, four vessels are provided, wherein the pivot arms 20 are arranged in a cross shape. The longitudinal axes 14' of the vessels 6 are parallel to the axis of rotation 14. This embodiment is also suitable for vessels 6 that are not symmetrical about their longitudinal axis or do not have a circular outer circumference. Other configurations with a different number of vessels 6 are also conceivable.

[0043] A further embodiment of the device 2 according to the invention is described with reference to Fig. 3. The vessel 6, which is hermetically sealed with a lid 22 and filled with honey up to a fill level 8, is placed on its base 18 on a turntable 24. The turntable 24 is driven by a drive 26, usually designed as an electric motor, via a torsion bar 28.

[0044] In general, it should be noted that the vessel 6 is tilted with respect to the gravitational field vector of the earth's gravity with respect to its rotation. In the case of a cylindrical vessel 6, the rotation preferably takes place along the outer circumference of the vessel, i.e., by tilting the vessel 6 by 90° onto the side wall 12. The vessel 6 can also be tilted with respect to the gravitational field vector of the earth's gravity if its base 18 is connected to the rotating device 10, as in the previous exemplary embodiment. Tests have shown that this results in efficient mechanical mixing of the honey 4. Rotation merely about the longitudinal axis 14' of an upright vessel 6 is therefore less suitable or would require very long processing times.

[0045] The rotation speed 16 of the vessel 6 can be controlled via the drive 26 using a time-dependent reference curve. The adjustment of the rotation speed 16 can be adjusted depending on the processing time. For this purpose, a corresponding table or the like can be stored in the control circuit of the drive 26, for example. The adjustment of the rotation speed 16 can take place both continuously and at certain time intervals in discrete values. Furthermore, it is possible for the rotation speed 16 of the vessel 6 to be controlled via a mechanical resistance of the drive 26, in particular via a current consumption of an electric motor.

[0046] In Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of the device 2 according to the invention. In this example, the rotating device 10 has two parallel shafts 30 and 32 in holders 34. The shaft 30 is driven via the drive 26. The other shaft 32 can be rotatably mounted in the holders 34. The distance between the shafts 30 and 32 is selected such that the vessel 6, which is rotationally symmetrical about the longitudinal axis 14', can be placed between the shafts 30 and 32 and is set in rotation at a rotational speed of 16 by the driven shaft 30. The driven shaft 30 is connected to the drive 26, which is usually designed as an electric motor, via a gear 36. As in Fig.As shown in Figure 4, the structure can be expanded to include a second set of shafts 30' and 32', with the driven shaft 30' being driven into rotation via a further gear 38 connected to the gear 36. In this way, a plurality of vessels 6 can be processed simultaneously or sequentially.

[0047] The subject matter of the invention is therefore the method for processing honey 4 and the device 2 which can carry out this method as described above. First, liquid honey 4 is provided, which is then set in a rotary motion at a rotation speed of 16 in the hermetically sealed vessel 6. The resulting mechanical movement of the honey 4 prevents coarse-grained or lattice-like growth or interlocking of sugar crystals. The mechanical mixing of the honey 4 in the vessel 6 leads to small-grain crystal growth, with the rotation speed 16 being adapted to the changing viscosity of the honey 4, which increases during processing.

[0048] The rotation speed 16 of the vessel 6 can be controlled using a time-dependent reference curve. Likewise, the rotation speed 16 can be readjusted by a user at certain intervals.

[0049] It is advantageous to briefly rotate the vessel 6 at high speed at the beginning of processing in order to incorporate air bubbles into the honey, whereby after the crystallization of the honey 4 has begun, the speed is reduced again to the value corresponding to the viscosity.

[0050] The features stated above, those in the claims, and those apparent from the illustrations can be advantageously implemented both individually and in various combinations. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but can be modified in many ways within the scope of expert knowledge. List of reference symbols: 2 procedures 4 honey 6 vessels 6 vessels 8 Fill level 10 Rotating device 12 Side wall 14 axis of rotation 14' Longitudinal axis 16 rotation speed 18 Floor 20 swivel arm 22 lids 24 turntables 26 Drive 28 torsion bar 30 wave 30' wave 32 while 32' while 34 brackets 36 gear 38 gear QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 2 709 466 A1

[0008] Cited non-patent literature

[0000] https: / / www.laves.niedersachsen.de / download / 41274 / Honig-Kristallisation.pdf

[0005]

Claims

[1] Method for processing honey (4), in which an initially liquid or partially crystallized honey (4) is provided, which is then set in a rotary movement at a rotational speed (16) in an airtight container (6) filled to a fill level, so that the resulting mechanical movement of the honey (4) prevents coarse crystalline growth, lattice-like growth or interlocking of sugar crystals and the mechanical mixing of the honey (4) in the container (6) leads to small-grained crystal growth. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the rotation speed is continuously or gradually adapted to the viscosity of the honey (4) during operation by reducing the rotation speed (16) in accordance with the viscosity of the honey (4) increasing during processing. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, in which the rotational speed (16) of the closed vessel (6) is controlled by means of a time-dependent reference curve, in which the rotational speed (16) is controlled via a mechanical resistance of the drive (26), in particular via a current consumption of an electric motor, or in which the rotational speed (16) is adjusted by a user after assessment or at time intervals. [4] Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vessel (6) is an intermediate container for processing in the device or a container intended for the final user. [5] Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the honey (4) is subsequently stirred in commercially available vessels until creamy as crystallization increases, in particular until complete crystallization. [6] Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the mixing of the honey (4) takes place in a temperature range from 0 °C to 30 °C, preferably up to 25 °C. [7] Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, in which, at the beginning of the processing, the vessel (6) is rotated at high speed to incorporate air bubbles into the honey (4), wherein after the beginning of the crystallization of the honey (4) the speed is reduced to the value corresponding to the viscosity. [8] Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the viscosity of the honey (4) is determined based on its turbidity. [9] Device (2) for processing honey (4), in particular with a method according to one of claims 1 to 8, which has an airtight container (6) for receiving the honey (4), which container is partially filled with honey (4) up to a fill level (8) and can be moved about a rotation axis (14) at a rotation speed (16) by means of a rotating device (10) driven by a drive (26), so that mechanical mixing of the honey (4) in the container (6) leads to small-grain crystal growth. [10] Device according to claim 9, in which the vessel (6) is arranged lying on a side wall (12) or inclined on its bottom (18). [11] Device according to one of claims 9 or 10, wherein the vessel (6) is formed along an axial direction about a longitudinal axis (14'), wherein the axis of rotation (14) and the longitudinal axis (14') coincide or lie parallel to one another. [12] Device according to one of claims 9 to 11, in which the rotating device (10) has two parallel shafts (30, 32), one shaft (30) being driven via the drive (26), the distance between the shafts (30, 32) being selected such that a vessel (6) which is rotationally symmetrical about the longitudinal axis (14') can be placed between the shafts (30, 32) and can be set in rotational movement by the at least one driven shaft (30).

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