A low-frequency sensor for determination of honey electrical properties in varying temperature conditions

• Applicability of an innovative impedance spectroscopy sensor for the measurement of honey’s electrical parameters.
• Collection of electrical parameters of acacia honey by the prototype sensor in 20 Hz–20 MHz frequency range.
• The temperature dependence of the electrical equivalent circuit (EEC) elements of the sensor-honey system.

The aim of the research was to test a prototype sensor used to determine the electrical properties of acacia honey. The sensor, placed inside a measurement cell, was connected to a precise LCR meter, which collected the impedance readings in the frequency range from 20 Hz to 2 MHz. The measurement results were analyzed using the electrical equivalent circuit (EEC) approach. The values of parameters describing impedances of four EEC elements, which were a capacitor, a constant phase element and two resistors, obtained at various temperatures from −10 °C to 35 °C during honey heating and cooling processes, were presented, as well as dielectric permittivity spectra of honey. The paper discusses the temperature dependence of the EEC electrical parameters and the functionality of the sensor.