Extended honey quality assessment with complementary methods enables the assessment of effects of queen excluders in beekeeping management practices

Recent innovations in food quality assessment include measuring food-induced emotions (FIE) and using image-forming methods (IFM), such as copper chloride crystallisation and capillary dynamolysis. FIE analyses the emotional and physical impact of food, while IFM captures the sample matrix to assess its physiological state. These methods have not yet been tested for honey. This study examined whether the use of these methods provides additional insights into honey quality. This study compared honey from organic beekeeping with queen excluder (QE) and without a queen excluder (NQE), sampled from seven beekeepers in Germany over 2 years. No significant differences were found in diastase activity or hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content. In 1 year, a slight increase in moisture was observed in honey from hives with a queen excluder. Sensory analysis revealed no differences, but FIE showed significant effects, particularly in emotional characteristics. IFM accurately identified differences between treatments in both 2018 and 2019. Food induced emotions and image-forming methods for assessing food quality generated additional information about honey quality in comparison with standard chemical and sensory analysis. The use of queen excluders can be perceived as a beekeeping management practice that influence honey properties.