Diastase activity

Diastase activity shows how active diastase (amylase) is, one of the enzymes in honey that come from the saliva of worker bees. It is measured on the Schade scale. The enzyme is very fragile, so overheated, over-stored or adulterated honey has less of it or none. That makes diastase an indicator of freshness.

Directive 2001/110/EC requires a diastase value of at least 8; for honeys naturally low in enzymes, such as citrus honey, at least 3 if HMF is no more than 15 mg/kg. The limit does not apply to baker’s honey. The half-life of diastase is 4 years at 20 °C, 31 days at 40 °C and about a day at 60 °C. Directive 2024/1438 tasks the Commission with setting, by 14 June 2029, criteria that prevent enzymes from being destroyed, taking the invertase index into account.

Why this matters to you: a low diastase value does not by itself mean fraud: it shows that honey was heated or stored long, or that it is naturally poor in enzymes. That is why diastase is read together with HMF. Honey sold as honey must not be heated so that its enzymes are destroyed.