Search

Abstract This article examined the effect of geographical (different climate conditions) and floral origins on some quality parameters of honey including the activity of diastase enzyme. Moreover, some non-quality parameters were investigated such as the pH, fructose, glucose, ratio of fructose/glucose and invertase. The honey samples were collected from Asir (cold climate) and Jazan (hot climate) regions at the southwestern part of Saudi Arabia. The geographical origin significantly affected the mean value moisture of the Acacia honey (p-value = 0.02), conductivity of the polyfloral honey (p-value = 0.03), sucrose of the Acacia honey (p-value = 0.02), diastase activity of the Acacia (p-value = 0.001), Ziziphus (p-value = 0.046) and polyfloral honey (p-value ≤ 0.001), fructose of the Acacia honey (p-value = 0.01), glucose of the Ziziphus honey (p-value = 0.03), fructose/ glucose ratio of the Ziziphus honey (p-value = 0.035), and invertase activity of the polyfloral honey (p-value ≤ 0.001). Regarding the effect of the floral origin of the honey from Asir region, the sucrose percentage of the Acacia honey was significantly more than that of the polyfloral honey (p- value = 0.003), the diastase activity of the Acacia honey was significantly more than its activity in the Ziziphus honey (p- value = 0.044), glucose percentage of the Ziziphus honey was significantly more the glucose percentage of the Acacia honey (p-value = 0.009) and the fructose/ glucose ratio of the Ziziphus honey was significantly more than that of the Acacia and polyforal honeys (p-value = 0.011 and p-value = 0.045, respectively). Concerning the significant effects of the floral origin on the quality parameters of the honey samples from Jazan region, the moisture of the Ziziphus honey was significantly increased when compared to the moisture of the Acacia honey (p-value = 0.038), the acidity of the polfloral honey was significantly more than the acidity of the Acacia honey (p-value = 0.049), the sum of fructose and glucose of the polyfloral honey was significantly increased compared to that of the Acacia honey (p-value = 0.015), the pH of the Ziziphus hiney was significantly more than the pH of the polyfloral honey (0.011) and the fructose of the polfloral honey was significantly more than that of the Acacia honey (p-value = 0.031). The effect of the geographical origin of the honey samples on their quality parameters depends on their floral origin and the effect of their floral origin differs according to their geographical origin. This article suggests considering collectively the geographical and floral origins effect when developing honey standards. However, the Codex standards for honey started considering this issue when it changed the standard concentration of HMF in honey from not more than 80–40 mg/Kg for honeys from cold climate and 80 mg/Kg for honeys from hot climates.

There are few studies focused on spore and pollen clumps in paleopalynological samples, and these are only reports from the Northern Hemisphere. These aggregates may be of animal or floral origin. The goal of this contribution is to provide the first detailed study of spore and pollen clumps from the Southern Hemisphere, and to discuss their possible origin, botanical affinities, and pollination modes, based on their morphological characteristics, preservation and comparison with putative living representatives. Three fern spore clumps and 18 angiosperm pollen clumps were recognized in Maastrichtian-Danian La Colonia Formation sediments that outcrop at Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina. Most clumps are monospecific and composed of undamaged elements but some of them have two types of spore/pollen with corroded and/or fragmented exines. These findings represent the most diverse and abundant record of fern and angiosperm clumps from the Late Cretaceous and early Paleocene so far known from South America and the Southern Hemisphere. These results are indicative of the need for comprehensive large-scale studies on pollination of modern taxa and careful processing of palynological samples to lessen the already large bias in paleopalynological interpretations. The paucity of information on clumps in the fossil record has impaired our comprehension of dispersion/pollination in deep time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey is an important functional food due to its content of polyphenolic compounds with beneficial effects on human body. The analysis of polyphenolic compound in honey is very promising in determination of floral origin and so for quality control. This study approaches a new methodology using integrated methods for the determination of honey authenticity. Polyphenolic compounds from seven different types of monofloral honey from two different sources were extracted and analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Chromatographic analysis was performed on TLC Silica gel 60 RP-18 F254 plates using a mobile phase consisting in a mixture of methanol: water: formic acid (5: 5: 0.1, v/v/v). The images from the TLC analysis were processed and the obtained chromatograms together with the UV-Vis deconvoluted spectra of honey were subjected to visual and statistical analysis. The obtained results showed notable differences between the honey samples, which can be used to establish their floral origin and for their authentication. The proposed methodology is easy to perform, cost-effective and offers complementary information, therefore it has the potential of being used for the honey authentication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The chemical fingerprint of processed honeys was studied using LC-QTOF-MS. • Filtration, creaming and pasteurization had little impact on the chemical fingerprints. • Honey processing did not impact the capacity to authenticate the botanical origin using LC-MS. • Testing the impact of processing is essential when selecting honey authenticity markers. The present study investigated the impact of filtration, creaming and pasteurization on the authentication of the botanical origin of honey using the dilute-and-shoot method in liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The analytical method performances were satisfactory (analyte recoveries ranging from 95 % to 103 % and inter-day precision below 12 %). Three types of raw honeys including blueberry, canola and clover were processed under controlled conditions. Filtration, creaming and pasteurization had no impact on honey botanical classification based on the LC-MS fingerprint, and the key molecular fingerprints were retained after processing. However, results revealed that testing the impact of processing is essential when selecting honey authenticity markers because some candidates (e.g. adenosine) are not stable or can be removed during honey processing. The results of the present study also highlighted the suitability of the dilute-and-shoot approach to both develop authentication tools for honey and study the impact of processing methods on specific chemicals in honeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPollen analysis of honey reveals information about bee–plant interactions and networks that, in some cases, are lost through mere observation of bees on flowers. This information on bee–plant interactions is valuable for the protection of bees and vegetal species and pollination of crop plants. To provide insights into bee–plant interactions, palynological evidence was developed from the collection of honey. The objective of this study is to determine the plants that the bees (Tetragonisca fiebrigi) visit for honey production in southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul). For this, 24 honey samples were collected from five regions of northeastern Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. A total of 64 pollen types were found in the honey samples from T. fiebrigi in southern Brazil, mainly from trees. The most common pollen types in the samples were from Schinus terebinthifolia, Schizolobium parahyba, Handroanthus sp., Morus nigra, and Rosa cf. grandiflora. The pollen grains show a high diversity of plants, including those with important ecological functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activity of honey enzymes are affected by floral and geographical origins, climate conditions, honeybee species, health and nutrition. This article investigated the effect of floral and geographical origins on the activity of glucose oxidase (GOx) and catalase (CAT) enzymes in honey samples from the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the moisture, total sugars, pH and conductivity were measured as quality parameters. The floral origin of the honey samples was determined microscopically while the quality parameters were measured according to the methods of international honey commission. The activity of the honey enzyme was determined following the instructions of the Megazyme International kits. The obtained results were statistically analyzed by the statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, v.20). The GOx activity of the Acacia, Ziziphus and polyfloral honey samples of the Asir region were (5.19 ± 2.33 U/g), (4.01 ± 1.17 U/g) and (5.69 ± 1.67 U/g), respectively. The Acacia, Ziziphus and polyfloral honey samples from the Jazan region had GOx activities of (6.85 ± 0.47 U/g), (10.48 ± 9.22 U/g) and (5.31 ± 2.7 U/g), respectively. The geographical origin significantly affected the GOx activity of Ziziphus honey (p-value = 0.005) and the GOx activity of the Ziziphus honey was significantly more than that of the polyfloral honey of the Jazan region (p-value = 0.009). With regard to the CAT activity in Asir region honey samples, the mean values of the Acacia, Ziziphus and polyfloral honeys were (2.89 ± 1.08 U/g), (3.58 ± 1.59 U/g) and (2.84 ± 1.24 U/g), respectively. The mean values of the CAT activity in the Jazan honey samples were Acacia (4.35 ± 1.01 U/g), Ziziphus (3.94 ± 0.04 U/g) and polyfloral (3.43 ± 0.67 U/g). The geographical origin significantly affected the CAT activity in Acacia honey (p-value = 0.014). The geographical and floral origins had significant effects on the activity of the honey GOx and CAT enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Artificial sweeteners are low calorie polyhydric alcohols produced from carbohydrates or amino acids. Presence of artificial sweeteners in honey is not investigated before. Objective: this study measured the concentration of Xylitol and Sorbitol, the activity of glucose oxidase (GOX) and the concentration of glucose and acidity of honey samples from Asir region-Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the values of pH and electric conductivity were determined.MethodsThe floral origin of the honey samples were confirmed through pollen analysis. The PH, electric conductivity (EC.), acidity, and glucose concentration were measured according to the methods of international honey commission. The glucose oxidase activity and the concentration of xylitol and sorbitol were determined according to the instructions of Megazyme International kits CAT.#: K-GLOX and CAT.#: K-SORB, respectively. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS)-version 20 was applied to analyze the obtained results.Results.The floral origin analysis showed that the honey samples were Acacia (8) and Zizphus (4). The altitudes of the Acacia honey samples were 900 and 2000 m above sea level while the Zizphus honey samples were collected from 900 m above sea level. The studied quality parameters (Glucose, PH, Acidity, and EC.) were within the range of the CODEX standards and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority guide for honey. Irrespective of the altitude, the glucose oxidase activity in the Acacia honey samples was (4.7 ± 1.13) whereas its activity of the Zizphus honey was (5.0 ± 1.62). There was insignificant difference between the glucose activity of the Acacia and Zizphus honey samples (p-value = 0.7). The concentration of xylitol and sorbitol were not affected by the floral origin (p-value ≥ 0.17).Conclusions.The Acacia and Ziziphus honey are characterized by containing high amounts of sorbitol and trace xylitol content. The floral origin and year of harvest significantly affected pH, EC and Acidity of the honey samples.

Little information about the contribution of plants to the production of honey by bees exists for southern Brazil. Information on this dynamic is crucial to maintaining the health of bees, the pollination of forests and assisting in the management of apiaries and meliponaries. The objective of the study was to elucidate which plants the bees visit for the production of honey in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), southern Brazil. 43 honey samples were selected from Apis mellifera, Tetragonisca angustula, Melipona quadrifasciata, Scaptotrigona bipunctata, Plebeia remota and Plebeia droryana. The honey samples were submitted to acetolysis. 110 pollen types were found in all honey samples from bees of Apis mellifera (97 pollen types), Melipona quadrifasciata quadrifasciata (14 pollen types), Tetragonisca angustula (46 pollen types), Scaptotrigona bipunctata (8 pollen types), Plebeia remota (17 pollen types) and Plebeia droryana (8 pollen types). The high pollen percentage of tree species in the samples stands out, ranging from 16.8% to 99.8%. The samples were grouped into seven groups by CONISS, called Melis-1, Melis-2, Melis-3, Melis-4, Melis-5, Melis-6 and Melis 7, and these are related to the floral resources of the studied bees. Some pollen types showed high percentages in honeys from Apis mellifera (pollen types of Eucalyptus sp. Myrcia type, Casearia sylvestris, Hovenia dulcis, Mimosa scabrella, Lamanonia ternata, Clethra scabra, Baccharis type and Weinmannia paulliniifolia), Tetragonisca angustula (pollen types of Eryngium sp./Petroselinum crispum, Handroanthus sp., Sorocea bonplandii and Parapiptadenia rigida), Melipona quadrifasciata quadrifasciata (pollen types of Myrcia type, Eucalyptus sp. and Mimosa bimucronata), Scaptotrigona bipunctata (pollen types of Allophylus edulis, Butia type and Parapiptadenia rigida), Plebeia remota (pollen types of Myrcia type, Butia type and Sebastiania sp.) and Plebeia droryana (pollen types of Myrcia type). The different types of vegetation in RS accounts for the different pollen spectra in honeys from southern Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey floral origin is determined by the harversting region, but anthropogenic factors as agriculture expansion might modify the environmental flora and consequently honey floral origin. Argentina is one of the most important honey producers worldwide which, since the 1990s, has undergone an important agriculture transformation by the adoption of transgenic crops like soybean (Glycine max). However, little is known about the effects of this anthropogenic activity on the floral origin of honey or the statistical tools that could be used to analyse it. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact that these environmental modifications have on the pollen spectrum of honey. In order to achieve this, thirty-two samples of blossom honey were collected from three different ecoregions of the Buenos Aires province: Parana Delta and Islands, Espinal and Pampa, in two different years: 1999 and 2014. The pollen spectrum of honey samples was determined and the data obtained was analysed with multivariate statistical techniques. It could be concluded that the pollen composition of honeys from different ecoregions has significantly changed in the past years because of agriculture expansion and adaptation of transgenic crops (p=0.007). Honey samples harvested in 1999 were characterized by high values of Helianthus annuus, while in 2014 an important presence of Eryngium sp., Gleditsia triacanthos, Baccharis type, Trifolium sp. and Glycine max was observed. The present results show that honey palynological results and multivariate statistical analysis could be used as a preliminary attempt to evaluate environmental modifications.

The activity of honey enzymes are affected by floral and geographical origins, climate conditions, honeybee species, health and nutrition. This article investigated the effect of floral and geographical origins on the activity of glucose oxidase (GOx) and catalase (CAT) enzymes in honey samples from the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the moisture, total sugars, pH and conductivity were measured as quality parameters. The floral origin of the honey samples was determined microscopically while the quality parameters were measured according to the methods of international honey commission. The activity of the honey enzyme was determined following the instructions of the Megazyme International kits. The obtained results were statistically analyzed by the statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, v.20). The GOx activity of the Acacia, Ziziphus and polyfloral honey samples of the Asir region were (5.19 ± 2.33 U/g), (4.01 ± 1.17 U/g) and (5.69 ± 1.67 U/g), respectively. The Acacia, Ziziphus and polyfloral honey samples from the Jazan region had GOx activities of (6.85 ± 0.47 U/g), (10.48 ± 9.22 U/g) and (5.31 ± 2.7 U/g), respectively. The geographical origin significantly affected the GOx activity of Ziziphus honey (p-value = 0.005) and the GOx activity of the Ziziphus honey was significantly more than that of the polyfloral honey of the Jazan region (p-value = 0.009). With regard to the CAT activity in Asir region honey samples, the mean values of the Acacia, Ziziphus and polyfloral honeys were (2.89 ± 1.08 U/g), (3.58 ± 1.59 U/g) and (2.84 ± 1.24 U/g), respectively. The mean values of the CAT activity in the Jazan honey samples were Acacia (4.35 ± 1.01 U/g), Ziziphus (3.94 ± 0.04 U/g) and polyfloral (3.43 ± 0.67 U/g). The geographical origin significantly affected the CAT activity in Acacia honey (p-value = 0.014). The geographical and floral origins had significant effects on the activity of the honey GOx and CAT enzymes.

The aim of the study is to discriminate mono-floral honey by the chemical characteristics of non-sugar components (NSC) present in honey based on their botanical origin. The NSC in 50 honey samples including jujube, chaste and locust were determined and compared using HPLC and 1H-NMR combined with chemometrics analysis. The results showed that the content of NSC in jujube honey was the highest, with the average value of 780.77 mg/100 g, followed by locust honey, the lowest was chaste honey, with the average value of 292.43 mg/100 g. HPLC and 1H-NMR fingerprints of mono-floral honey samples were established, in which common chromatographic and spectral peak information were obtained. Principal component analysis and discrimination analysis were performed using selected common peaks as dependent variables and floral origin as independent variables, 44 honey samples and six test samples were correctly classified according to their floral origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Urban multi-floral honeys had a higher total phenolic content than rural honeys. • Heather honey had the highest total phenolic content of all Irish honeys. • Irish heather honey had a higher total phenolic content than Manuka honey. • Irish heather honey had similar physiochemical characteristics to Manuka honey. Abstract The composition of honey influences how beneficial it is to human health. This study evaluated the physiochemical properties and total phenolic content (TPC) of single vs. multi-floral Irish and selected international honeys, and whether properties varied according to hive location. Oilseed rape honey had the lowest TPC of Irish unifloral honeys. Heather honey had the highest TPC, similar to Manuka honey (Mean ± SD = 68.16 ± 2.73 and 62.43 ± 10.03 respectively), and the TPC of ivy honey was approximately half that of heather. Urban multi-floral honeys contained higher TPC (28.26 ± 13.63) than rural honeys (20.32 ± 11.54). Physiochemical properties varied according to floral origin, and whether hives were in urban or rural sites. Irish heather honey had similar physiochemical characteristics to Manuka honey. This first examination of Irish honey confirms that TPC and physiochemical properties vary with honey type and hive location, and suggests that Irish heather honey should be examined for potential health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey is a food product with high nutritional and pharmacological value. Most studies of this product have focused on studying the properties of honey produced by Apis mellifera, which has been used in alternative medicine, highlighting the antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities, among others. In this work, we identified the floral origin, the concentration of soluble protein and phenolic compounds, and we assessed the antioxidant and chelating activity of the honey produced by Melipona beecheii and Frieseomelitta nigra from the community of San Marcos in Tenosique, Tabasco, México. The results show that the honey produced by M. beecheii was of monofloral origin (Eugenia sp.); while that of F. nigra is of polyfloral origin, derived mainly from the species Piper sp., aff. Brosimum, Asteraceae, Ziziphus sp., Haematoxylum campechianum). Honey produced by F. nigra show higher concentration of phenolic compounds, it is more effective in entrapping the DPPH and superoxide radicals, and exhibits better copper chelating potential. The honey of M. beecheii has a higher capacity for uptake of ABTS radicals and chelation of iron. The uptake capacity of the hydroxyl radical was similar for both honeys. This work highlights the importance of having palynological and biochemical analyzes on the honeys of native stingless bees, because of their therapeutic potential, where for many species there is a lack of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey floral origin is determined by the harversting region, but anthropogenic factors as agriculture expansion might modify the environmental flora and consequently honey floral origin. Argentina is one of the most important honey producers worldwide which, since the 1990s, has undergone an important agriculture transformation by the adoption of transgenic crops like soybean (Glycine max). However, little is known about the effects of this anthropogenic activity on the floral origin of honey or the statistical tools that could be used to analyse it. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact that these environmental modifications have on the pollen spectrum of honey. In order to achieve this, thirty-two samples of blossom honey were collected from three different ecoregions of the Buenos Aires province: Parana Delta and Islands, Espinal, and Pampa, in two different years: 1999 and 2014. The pollen spectrum of honey samples was determined and the data obtained was analysed with multivariate statistical techniques. It could be concluded that the pollen composition of honeys from different ecoregions has significantly changed in the past years because of agriculture expansion and adaptation of transgenic crops (p=0.007). Honey samples harvested in 1999 were characterized by high values of Helianthus annuus, while in 2014 an important presence of Eryngium sp., Gleditsia triacanthos, Baccharis type, Trifolium sp. and Glycine max was observed. The present results show that honey palynological results and multivariate statistical analysis could be used as a preliminary attempt to evaluate environmental modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honeybee collected pollen exhibits high nutritional and pharmaceutical benefits for the human diet and medicine. Pollen’s antioxidant, anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerosis, and cardioprotective activity, depending on the floral origin, are well known. Recent studies proposed that pollen may also be an excellent cancer-fighting candidate, as pollen harbours high amounts of phenolic substances. In our study, Filipendula ulmaria pollen (bee collected) was methanol-water extracted and used to verify its in vitro pharmacological activities on C26 mice cancer tumour cells. Three different concentrations of the extract were tested in antitumour assays. Monitoring was done after 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours. Promising results were obtained for antiproliferative and apoptotic activity of the pollen extracts, with high efficiency for the highest concentration (1 mg/mL). For both activities, time and concentration-dependent effects were observed. Pollen extracts or bee collected pollen has a high potential as an antitumour agent for use in human medicine, because they are both rich in bioactive compounds.

The determination of the botanical/geographical origin of honey provides assurance of the product’s quality. In the present work, honeys from different ecoregions of Argentina were analysed, and the possible link between the complete pollen profile of honey samples and their volatile composition was evaluated by multivariate statistical tools. A total of 110 volatile compounds were found and semiquantified in honey samples. Redundancy analysis showed significant correlations between the volatile profile of honeys and their production region (P = .0002). According to the present results, 3,8- p -menthatriene; cyclopropylidenemethylbenzene; 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene; 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene; α-pinene; isopropyl 2-methylbutanoate; cymene; 2,6-dimethyl-1,6-octadiene; 3-methyloctane; 1-(1,4-dimethyl-3-cyclohexen-1-yl)ethanone; terpinolene; ethyl 2-phenylacetate; naphthalene and 7 unknown compounds could be used to classify Argentinean honeys according to their geographical origin with a prediction success of 96%. Moreover, it could be concluded that honeys with Eucalyptus sp., Aristotelia chilensis and T. Baccharis pollen types presented some characteristic volatile compounds which could be used as floral markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work was aimed at studying variations in the element content of five famous Yemeni honeys of different floral origin. For this purpose, samples of honey were collected over three years from four mono-floral and one multi-floral honey. Element levels were determined by ICP-AES. Results show a highly reproducible level of element for each honey type and a significant change in element content in honey as a function of the floral source. In addition to demonstrating the impact of the floral origin on Yemeni-honey mineral content, our compiled values will be highly useful to ascertain honey quality once Yemen will return to less-trouble times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey discrimination based on floral and geographic origins is limited by the ability to determine reliable markers because developing hypothetical substances in advance considerably limits the throughput of metabolomics studies. Here, we present a novel approach to screen and elucidate honey markers based on comparative untargeted metabolomics using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap). To reduce metabolite information losses during sample preparation, the honey samples were dissolved in water and centrifuged to remove insoluble particles prior to UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap analysis in positive and negative electrospray ionization modes. The data were pretreated using background subtraction, chromatographic peak extraction, normalization, transformation and scaling to remove interferences from unwanted biases and variance in the experimental data. The pretreated data were further processed using principal component analysis (PCA) and a three-stage approach ( t -test, volcano plot and variable importance in projection (VIP) plot) to ensure marker authenticity. A correlation between the molecular and fragment ions with a mass accuracy of less than 1.0 ppm was used to annotate and elucidate the marker structures, and the marker responses in real samples were used to confirm the effectiveness of the honey discrimination. Moreover, we evaluated the data quality using blank and quality control (QC) samples based on PCA clustering, retention times, normalized levels and peak areas. This strategy will help guide standardized, comparative untargeted metabolomics studies of honey and other agro-products from different floral and geographic origins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in honey are obtained from diverse biosynthetic pathways and extracted by using various methods associated with varying degrees of selectivity and effectiveness. These compounds are grouped into chemical categories such as aldehyde, ketone, acid, alcohol, hydrocarbon, norisoprenoids, terpenes and benzene compounds and their derivatives, furan and pyran derivatives. They represent a fingerprint of a specific honey and therefore could be used to differentiate between monofloral honeys from different floral sources, thus providing valuable information concerning the honey’s botanical and geographical origin. However, only plant derived compounds and their metabolites (terpenes, norisoprenoids and benzene compounds and their derivatives) must be employed to discriminate among floral origins of honey. Notwithstanding, many authors have reported different floral markers for honey of the same floral origin, consequently sensory analysis, in conjunction with analysis of VOCs could help to clear this ambiguity. Furthermore, VOCs influence honey’s aroma described as sweet, citrus, floral, almond, rancid, etc. Clearly, the contribution of a volatile compound to honey aroma is determined by its odor activity value. Elucidation of the aroma compounds along with floral origins of a particular honey can help to standardize its quality and avoid fraudulent labeling of the product. Although only present in low concentrations, VOCS could contribute to biomedical activities of honey, especially the antioxidant effect due to their natural radical scavenging potential.

Objetivou-se, na presente pesquisa, desenvolvida com amostras de méis de Apis mellifera coletadas diretamente dos produtores de diversos municípios do estado de Ceará, Brasil, verificar, com base em características físico-químicas, como se agrupam as amostras de méis. Dentre as 52 amostras de méis analisadas as que continham pólen de Serjania sp. como dominante ou acessório, formam um subgrupo distinto quanto aos caracteres físico-químicos, o que confirma que a origem floral interfere decisivamente nas características dos méis. Pela análise dos componentes principais, pôde-se verificar que os caracteres que mais influenciaram no agrupamento das amostras de méis foram acidez e índice de formol no eixo X e pH e cinzas no eixo Y.This paper was carried out to determine how the honey samples of the State of Ceará, Brazil may be grouped, based on the physicochemical composition of the honey. The samples were collected in different municipalities. Among the 52 honey samples analyzed it was observed that the samples which have Sejania sp. as dominant or accessory pollen form a different sub-group based on the physicochemical parameters. The results confirm that the honey bee composition is influenced by the plant nectar. The grouping of the honey samples was mostly influenced by acidity and formol index on the X axis, and pH and ashes, on the Y axis.

Background: Honey has multiple therapeutic properties due to its composition with diverse components.Objectives: This study aims to investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of Saharan honeys against bacterial pathogens, the variation of honey floral origins and its physicochemical characteristics.Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial activity of 32 samples of honey collected from the Algerian Sahara Desert was tested on four pathogenic bacteria; Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The botanical origin of honeys and their physicochemical properties were determined and their combined antibacterial effects were modeled using a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM).Results: Out of the 32 study samples, 14 were monofloral and 18 were multifloral. The pollen density was on average 7.86 × 106 grains/10 g of honey, water content was 14.6%, electrical conductivity was 0.5 μS/cm, pH was 4.38±0 50, hydroxymethylfurfural content was 82 mg/kg of honey, total sugars = 83%, reducing sugars = 71%, and the concentration of proline = 525.5±550.2 mg/kg of honey. GLMM revealed that the antibacterial effect of honey varied significantly between bacteria and floral origins. This effect increased with increasing of water content and reducing sugars in honey, but it significantly decreased with increase of honey electrical conductivity. E. coli was the most sensitive species with an inhibition zone of 10.1±4.7 mm, while C. perfringens was the less sensitive with 3.9±5.4 mm. Honeys dominated by pollen of Fabaceae sp. were most effective with an overall antimicrobial activity equals to 13.5±4.7 mm.Conclusion: Saharan honeys, of certain botanical origins, have physicochemical and pollinic characteristics with relevant potential for antibacterial purposes. This encourages a more comprehensive characterization of honeys with in vivo and in vitro investigations.Keywords: Honey characterization; antibacterial effects; floral origin; inhibition zone; Sahara Desert bioresources; GLMM.

A total of 77 jujube, longan and chaste honey samples were collected from 18 different areas of China. Thirteen types of phenolic acids in the honey samples were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC–ECD). Moreover, HPLC–ECD fingerprints of the monofloral honey samples were established. From the analysis of the HPLC–ECD fingerprints, common chromatography peak information was obtained, and principal component analysis and discriminant analysis were performed using selected common chromatography peak areas as variables. By comparing with phenolic acids as variables, using a chemometric analysis which is based on the use of common chromatography peaks as variables, 36 honey samples and 41 test samples could be correctly identified according to their floral origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey, in particular monofloral varieties, is a valuable commodity. Here, we present proton transfer reaction-time of flight-mass spectrometry, PTR-ToF-MS, coupled to chemometrics as a successful tool in the classification of monofloral honeys, which should serve in fraud protection against mispresentation of the floral origin of honey. We analyzed 7 different honey varieties from citrus, chestnut, sunflower, honeydew, robinia, rhododendron and linden tree, in total 70 different honey samples and a total of 206 measurements. Only subtle differences in the profiles of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the headspace of the different honeys could be found. Nevertheless, it was possible to successfully apply 6 different classification methods with a total correct assignment of 81–99% in the internal validation sets. The most successful methods were stepwise linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and probabilistic neural network (PNN), giving total correct assignments in the external validation sets of 100 and 90%, respectively. Clearly, PTR-ToF-MS/chemometrics is a powerful tool in honey classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile fingerprinting by Headspace-Solid-Phase Microextraction followed by Direct Injection Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME DIMS) has been assessed for the first time as an alternative approach to gas chromatographic methods (HS-SPME GC-MS) for the rapid classification of honey botanical origin. In order to fully evaluate the potential of SPME for honey authentication, samples from different botanical sources (eucalyptus, citrus, acacia, rosemary and honeydew) were analyzed by both approaches using either carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (C/PDMS) or polyacrylate SPME fibers. These datasets were further subjected to different supervised and unsupervised chemometric techniques, including powerful machine learning methods such as FreeViz, not previously applied for this purpose. The best overall classification rate (99% success), outperforming that provided by GC-MS data (98.25% success), was obtained when partial least squares-linear discriminant analysis was applied to mass spectral fingerprints gathered by C/PDMS fiber. The HS-SPME DIMS approach here optimized is shown as an advantageous alternative in terms of analysis time over chromatographic methods (2 vs 50 min), as well as a reliable and cost-efficient approach for honey source authentication issues both in research and food industry fields. • A novel and fast (2 min) SPME method was developed for honey volatile fingerprinting. • Honeys from five botanical origins were successfully categorized. • Carboxen/PDMS outperformed polyacrylate SPME fiber for honey source clustering. • PLS-LDA of Carboxen/PDMS fingerprints provided the best (99%) classification rate. • SPME-Direct Injection Mass Spectrometry allowed accurate honey source authentication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Honey has multiple therapeutic properties due to its composition with diverse components. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of Saharan honeys against bacterial pathogens, the variation of honey floral origins, and its physicochemical characteristics. Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial activity of 32 samples of honey collected from the Algerian Sahara Desert was tested on four bacteria; Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. The botanical origin of honeys and their physicochemical properties were determined and their combined antibacterial effects were modeled using a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). Results: Out of the 32 study samples, 14 were monofloral and 18 were multifloral. The pollen density was on average 7.86x106 grains/10gof honey, water content was 14.6%, electrical conductivity (EC) was 0.5 μ/cm, pH was 4.38 ± 0 50, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content was 82mg/kg of honey, total sugars = 83%, reducing sugars = 71%, and the concentration of proline = 525.5 ± 550.2 mg/kg of honey. GLMM revealed that the antibacterial effect of honey varied significantly between bacteria and floral origins. This effect increased with increasing of water content and reducing sugars in honey, but it significantly decreased with increase of honey EC. E. coli was the most sensitive species with an inhibition zone of 10.1 ± 4.7 mm, while C. perfringens was the less sensitive. Honeys dominated by pollen of Fabaceae sp. were most effective with an overall antimicrobial activity equals to 13.5 ± 4.7 mm. Conclusion: Saharan honeys, of certain botanical origins, have physicochemical and pollinic characteristics with relevant potential for antibacterial purposes. This encourages a more comprehensive characterization of honeys with in vivo and in vitro investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Volatiles of apocynum, elaeagnus, amorpha, lavender, and jujube honey were comprehensively analyzed; • Volatiles and aroma profiles of apocynum, elaeagnus and amorpha honey were analyzed for the first time; • Chemometrics analysis showed significant correlations between floral origin and volatiles; • Four key volatiles were proposed to discriminate lavender from other unifloral honeys. Discrimination of floral origin and its complemented aroma features is important for honey authentication. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of five unifloral honeys was analyzed based on the correlation between volatile compounds and aroma and floral origin using HS-SPME/GC–MS combined with chemometrics. A total of 92 volatiles were identified and relatively quantified in honey samples, 51 of which showed contribution to floral discrimination (p < 0.01), and 27 of which had aroma contribution, applying apocynum, jujube and amorpha honey with various fruity, elaeagnus with rosaceous and lavender with green flavor. Chemometrics analysis showed significant correlations between floral origin and volatiles, in particular, compounds hexanal, hexanol, heptanol and methyl enanthate were tentatively selected as the key compounds to discriminate lavender honey (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) from others. These results reveal the volatiles and aroma features in five types of unifloral honey in Northwest China and offer compelling evidence for honey authentication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial sweeteners are low calorie polyhydric alcohols produced from carbohydrates or amino acids. Presence of artificial sweeteners in honey is not investigated before. Objective: this study measured the concentration of Xylitol and Sorbitol, the activity of glucose oxidase (GOX) and the concentration of glucose and acidity of honey samples from Asir region-Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the values of pH and electric conductivity were determined. Methods The floral origin of the honey samples were confirmed through pollen analysis. The PH, electric conductivity (EC.), acidity, and glucose concentration were measured according to the methods of international honey commission. The glucose oxidase activity and the concentration of xylitol and sorbitol were determined according to the instructions of Megazyme International kits CAT.#: K-GLOX and CAT.#: K-SORB, respectively. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS)-version 20 was applied to analyze the obtained results. Results. The floral origin analysis showed that the honey samples were Acacia (8) and Zizphus (4). The altitudes of the Acacia honey samples were 900 and 2000 m above sea level while the Zizphus honey samples were collected from 900 m above sea level. The studied quality parameters (Glucose, PH, Acidity, and EC.) were within the range of the CODEX standards and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority guide for honey. Irrespective of the altitude, the glucose oxidase activity in the Acacia honey samples was (4.7 ± 1.13) whereas its activity of the Zizphus honey was (5.0 ± 1.62). There was insignificant difference between the glucose activity of the Acacia and Zizphus honey samples (p-value = 0.7). The concentration of xylitol and sorbitol were not affected by the floral origin (p-value ≥ 0.17). Conclusions. The Acacia and Ziziphus honey are characterized by containing high amounts of sorbitol and trace xylitol content. The floral origin and year of harvest significantly affected pH, EC and Acidity of the honey samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Twelve of flavonoids were quantified in honey samples by HPLC–DAD–MS/MS. [•] Three floral markers were found to discriminate honey samples. [•] Fingerprint feature areas were achieved to classify honey samples. [•] Honey samples could be successfully classified on the basis of chemometrics models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the physical and biochemical properties of some Romanian honeys in order to discriminate between their floral origins. The evaluated properties were total phenolic content, total protein content, total free amino acids content, color intensity (ABS450), pH, ash content, antioxidant activity. Twenty-six commercial honeys from six types of flowers (acacia, sunflower, forest, polyfloral, lime and Sea Buckthorn) were investigated. All samples showed considerable variations with reference to their properties. The properties values were in the range of approved limits (according to EU legislation). The total phenolic, total protein and total free amino acids contents and color intensity varied considerably. Similarly, forest honey had the highest antioxidant activity while the lowest was found in acacia honey. Correlation between the floral origin of honeys and the physical and biochemical properties, respectively, was observed. Moreover, this study demonstrates remarkable variation in DPPH scavenging activity and content of total phenols in honey, depending on its botanic source. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in honey are obtained from diverse biosynthetic pathways and extracted by using various methods associated with varying degrees of selectivity and effectiveness. These compounds are grouped into chemical categories such as aldehyde, ketone, acid, alcohol, hydrocarbon, norisoprenoids, terpenes and benzene compounds and their derivatives, furan and pyran derivatives. They represent a fingerprint of a specific honey and therefore could be used to differentiate between monofloral honeys from different floral sources, thus providing valuable information concerning the honey's botanical and geographical origin. However, only plant derived compounds and their metabolites (terpenes, norisoprenoids and benzene compounds and their derivatives) must be employed to discriminate among floral origins of honey. Notwithstanding, many authors have reported different floral markers for honey of the same floral origin, consequently sensory analysis, in conjunction with analysis of VOCs could help to clear this ambiguity. Furthermore, VOCs influence honey's aroma described as sweet, citrus, floral, almond, rancid, etc. Clearly, the contribution of a volatile compound to honey aroma is determined by its odor activity value. Elucidation of the aroma compounds along with floral origins of a particular honey can help to standardize its quality and avoid fraudulent labeling of the product. Although only present in low concentrations, VOCS could contribute to biomedical activities of honey, especially the antioxidant effect due to their natural radical scavenging potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An informative and effective measure of antioxidant capacity based on DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) bleaching kinetic profiles has been developed using principal component analysis (PCA). The activity score and a related parameter, called quercetin factor (QF), were used to estimate antioxidant capacity for 39 propolis extracts based on the first principal component (which explains 98% of the total variance). Determination of the QF parameter requires less time and reagents than previous DPPH-based antioxidant capacity parameters, but does require additional equipment. Additionally, UV–vis and FT-IR spectroscopic features of propolis extracts have been identified, which have been correlated to antioxidant capacity, and offer a spectroscopic and reagent-less rapid evaluation method of the antioxidant activity of biological samples. Together the QF scores based on DPPH bleaching and FT-IR and UV–vis spectra are analyzed in terms of antioxidant capacity, floral origin, and geographic location. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The origin and rapid diversification of the angiosperms (Darwin's "Abominable Mystery") has engaged generations of researchers. Here, we examine the floral genetic programs of phylogenetically pivotal angiosperms (water lily, avocado, California poppy, and Arabidopsis) and a nonflowering seed plant (a cycad) to obtain insight into the origin and subsequent evolution of the flower. Transcriptional cascades with broadly overlapping spatial domains, resembling the hypothesized ancestral gymnosperm program, are deployed across morphologically intergrading organs in water lily and avocado flowers. In contrast, spatially discrete transcriptional programs in distinct floral organs characterize the more recently derived angiosperm lineages represented by California poppy and Arabidopsis. Deep evolutionary conservation in the genetic programs of putatively homologous floral organs traces to those operating in gymnosperm reproductive cones. Female gymnosperm cones and angiosperm carpels share conserved genetic features, which may be associated with the ovule developmental program common to both organs. However, male gymnosperm cones share genetic features with both perianth (sterile attractive and protective) organs and stamens, supporting the evolutionary origin of the floral perianth from the male genetic program of seed plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various methods were used to characterize avocado honey in Israel. Perseitol, a unique sugar present only in avocado honey, served as an indicator for the degree of purity of avocado honey. Low avocado pollen counts made the common melissopalynology method ineffective at predicting the contribution of avocado nectar to honey. It was also found that the levels of fructose, sucrose and glucose do not uniquely characterize avocado honey. Potassium content and eight other minerals were linearly highly correlated to perseitol content. Moreover, pH level, absorbance and degree of darkness were significantly correlated to perseitol content, and can therefore be used to characterize avocado honey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work a supervised chemometric approach to the discrimination of Italian honey samples from different floral origin is presented. The analytical data of 73 Italian honey samples from six varieties (chestnut, eucalyptus, heather, sulla, honeydew, and wildflower) have been processed by Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), using two different variable selection procedures (Fisher F-based and stepwise LDA). Three and two variables, respectively have been necessary to obtain a 100% predictive ability as evaluated by cross-validation. Successively, a class modeling approach has been followed, using UNEQ. The resulting models showed 100% sensitivity and specificity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The protein contents in honey samples of different floral origins, commercialized in several states of Brazil, were determined using the method of Bradford. The spectra of pollen of the honeys collected in those areas were studied, in order to establish the correlation between the different botanical species and the protein contents. The physicochemical properties of the honeys (colour, moisture, pH and acidity, lund test, lugol test, diastase index, reducing and non-reducing sugars and hydroxymethylfurfural contents) were also determined. The colorimetric determination of the protein content of honey samples, using the method of Bradford, was shown to be efficient and it allowed the detection of elevated protein in honey samples of Borreria verticillata, known in Brazil as “vassourinha”, from Piauı´ State. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• South African honey were evaluated using the Agricultural Standards Act as benchmark. • Evaluation of the quality parameters from local and imported honey over 10 years. • Comparing the physico-chemical parameters of honey from different floral origins. • On average 90% local and 92% imported honey is compliant. • Significant differences were found in honey from different floral origin. The popularity of honey as a high-valued commodity is growing and consequently, honey adulteration is on the rise affecting the honey quality. The quality of the honey on the South African market was evaluated using the Agricultural Product Standards Act, 1990 as assessment tool. Various physico-chemical characteristics were tested which indicated compliance of >80% for all honey samples. A canonical variate analysis using 95% confidence regions indicates significant differences between the quality of local and imported honey with total acid, sucrose and ash as the parameters mostly distinguishing between the groups. Honey produced from agricultural crops differed significantly from all other forage types. The parameters that mostly distinguished between forage types were Lund, hydroxy-methyl-furfural and ash content. Even though honey sold on the South African market is generally in accordance with national and international standards, an overall declining trend in quality was observed and it should be continuously monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]