Excerpt:
DIASTASE (or more properly, amylase) is an enzyme that “digests” starch. It has long been known to occur in honey. Its function in the ripening of honey is not clear, nor is it known with certainty if it is introduced by the bee or arises from a plant source (nectar, pollen, yeasts, etc.). Conceivably, diastase in honey could arise from all those mentioned. Periodic interest is shown in this country in the diastase content of honey; it arises when European importers refuse honey shipments or downgrade them because they find low values of diastase in samples.
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