Dielectric properties of honey-water solutions over broad frequency range

The dielectric constant (ε′) and dielectric loss (ε″) of pure honey (PH) and honey-water mixtures have been measured over 20 Hz − 20 GHz frequency range, at 26 °C using a precision LCR meter and a Vector Network Analyzer. It has been observed that as water proportion in honey increases, ε′ and ε″ increases over the given frequency range. The dielectric relaxation peak of ε″ for honey-water mixture in the microwave frequency range shifts towards relaxation peak of water as amount of water in honey increases. The normalized ε′/ε′PH ratio is found to increase with increase in water content in Honey, reaching up to 1000 over 20 Hz to 2 kHz. In frequency range from 500 MHz to 5 GHz, ε′/ε′PH ratio approaches a value of 10 times at 750 mg/g. Over 20 Hz to 2 MHz frequency range, ε″/ε″PH ratio approaches 100 times that of PH, but over frequency range from 200 MHz to 600 MHz the ratio ε″/ε″PH is found to decrease anomalously with increase in water content in PH. Further, over the frequency range from 8.2 GHz to 20 GHz the ε″/ε″PH ratio continuously increases with increase in water content.