The principal objective of the Honey Processing Plant is for students to understand how to add value in the beekeeping production chain. Second year students learn about honey processing; they learn and apply techniques for its management by evaluating its safety, color and weight in order to then package and commercialize it.
The students also learn how to manage and process other products derived from the honey production chain, such as propolis, pollen, propolis honey, comb honey and royal jelly. All of the abovementioned products have antimicrobial, energizing and medicinal properties. Each one requires a different form of processing and packaging. For example, royal jelly is stabilized in honey, stored at room temperature and then packaged, whereas for pollen the particles are cleaned, treated in a cold room and then packaged.
Outreach
For ten years Zamorano has been training beekeepers from communities in El Paraíso Department in technified honey production. Many of the producers trained by Zamorano have become our honey suppliers. Today part of the honey received by the plant is produced by them. The students evaluate samples that they bring to determine if the quality is viable for commercialization.
Innovation
The students in the Food Agroindustry career have done in-depth research about the properties of honey and its derivatives. They have also done research targeted at launching new products on the market, such as yogurt with honey, pollen (an energizing food) and fruits dehydrated in honey. The have also made an evaluation of pollen’s potential as a natural food preservative.
