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Use of Quinoline Alkaloids as Markers of the Floral Origin of Chestnut Honey

Authors :
Pilar Truchado
Laura Bortolotti
Isabel Molina Martos
Federico Ferreres
Francisco A. Tomás-Barberán
Anna Gloria Sabatini
European Commission
Source :
Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC, instname
Publication Year :
2009
Publisher :
American Chemical Society, 2009.

Abstract

7 páginas, 4 figuras, 3 tablas.<br />To identify potential floral markers of chestnut honey, the phytochemicals present in chestnut floral nectar collected by bees were analyzed. Two nitrogen-containing compounds were detected, isolated, and identified as 4-hydroxyquinaldic acid (kynurenic acid) and 4-quinolone-2-carboxylic acid by 1H NMR and 13C NMR. In addition, chestnut nectar contained the monoterpene 4-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)cyclohexa-1,3-diene-1-carboxylic acid, its gentiobioside ester, and the flavonol quercetin 3-pentosylhexoside. These nectar markers were found in different chestnut unifloral honey samples, although the flavonol was not detected in all samples analyzed. The terpenoid derivatives had previously been found in linden and tilia honeys. These results show that quinoline alkaloids are potentially good markers of chestnut honey, as they were not detected in any other unifloral honey analyzed so far. They are present at concentrations ranging from 34 to 65 mg/100 g of honey in the samples analyzed. In addition, the terpenoid and flavonoid derivatives present in nectar, although not exclusively characteristic of this floral origin, are good complementary markers for the determination of the floral origin of chestnut honey.<br />This work has been funded by the European Commission, Project Beeshop, FOOD CT-2006-022568.

Details

Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC, instname
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....15cfd83f00ffe7ec9fe0aefc85e06949