Characterization of honeys by melissopalynology and statistical analysis

Abstract

Herrero, B., Valencia-Barrera, R. M., San Martín, R. and Pando, V. 2002. Characterization of honeys by melissopalynology and statistical analysis. Can. J. Plant Sci. 82: 75-82. We analyzed pollen from 89 honey samples, collected in León and Palencia provinces (NW Spain). According to their pollen spectra, 46 were considered monofloral. The most abundant monofloral honeys were Erica types followed by Castanea, Centaurea, Reseda and Helianthus. One hundred and forty-two different pollen types were recorded, belonging to 47 families. Fifty-five of them reached percentages over 3% in at least one sample, while the other 87 types never exceeded 3% in any of the 89 samples. The families that were present in the highest number of samples were Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Cistaceae and Asteraceae. Plant families that had the highest percentages were Fabaceae, Ericaceae, Asteraceae, and Rosaceae. The pollen types that appeared in most samples were Rubus ulmifolius (73 samples), Cytisus scoparius (70) and Mentha aquatica (62); the pollen types that had the highest relative abundance were Erica arborea, Lotus corniculatus, Cytisus scoparius. The pollen types of the Ericaceae family, Jasione montana, and Lavandula latifolia types could be used as indicators of the origin of honeys among five zones in the area studied.The use of cluster and correlation statistical analyses proved useful in characterizing honey samples from a geographical and botanical point of view. The honey samples were divided into four classes according to the data matrix of presence/absence, and into seven classes according to absolute frequencies of pollen types in the samples. On a déterminé 142 types polliniques différents appartenant à 47 familles. 55% types polliniques ont atteint des pourcentages supérieurs à 3% dans quelques des échantillons étudiés. Les 87 autres types polliniques n'ont présenté de pourcentages supérieurs à 3% dans aucun des 89 échantillons étudiés. Les familles les plus souveur présentes parmi les miels étudiés ont été: Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Cistaceae et Ericaceae. Les familles qui ont atteint les pourcentages les plus élevés de représentation ont été: Fabaceae, Ericaceae, Asteracee et Rosaceae. Les types polliniques qui apparaissent dans le plus grand nombre d'échantillons sont: Rubus ulmifolius (73 échantillons), Cytisus scoparius (70 échantillons) et Mentha aquatica (62 échantillons). Les types polliniques qui ont atteint les plus grands pourcentages de présence ont été: Erica arborea, Lotus corniculatus et Cytisus scoparius. Les types polliniques de la famille Ericaceae, Jasione montana et Lavandula latifolia peuvent être utilisés comme indicateurs pour reconnaître la zone d'origine des miels étudiés dans ce domaine. On a constaté que l'emploi d'analyses statistiques cluster at corrélation a été très utile pour la caractérisation géographique et botanique, respectivement, des échantillons de miel étudiés par la répartition de ces échantillons en différentes classes. On a établi 4 zones géographiques (figure 2) et 7 types de miel. Dans...

Pollen analysis of 15th century cesspits from the palace of the dukes of Burgundy in Bruges (Belgium): evidence for the use of honey from the western Mediterranean

“…Pollen analysis is not only useful for the detection of the use of honey in the past but also for determining its floral composition (Sawyer, 1988;Herrero et al, 2002). In the case of Bruges, however, it is not possible to reconstruct the complete floral composition of the used honey as could be done with more 'pure' archaeological finds of honey residues (Kvavadse et al, 2007;Rö sch, 1999;Zander, 1941).…”

Foraging rules of flower selection applied by colonies of Apis mellifera: ranking and associations of floral sources

“…Herrero et al . ; Keller, Peter & Imdorf ), including geographical areas where A. mellifera has been introduced (e.g. Webby ).…”

“…Notwithstanding these records, in melissopalynological analysis (to establish the botanical origin of a floral honey), pollens from nectarless species are generally considered contaminants and discarded from final calculation (Herrero et al . ; von der Ohe et al . ).…”

Determinación melisopalinológica de miel de abejas Apis mellifera producida con flora de clima frío, principalmente Trifolium repens L

“…La melisopalinología es una disciplina que se enfoca en la identificación de polen en las muestras de miel (Herrero et al, 2002). La miel se caracteriza por tener un alto contenido de polen, producto de la recolección o pecoreo de las abejas en las diferentes especies visitadas; esta característica permite determinar el origen botánico y geográfico de la miel, además de conocer algunas características sensoriales y físico-químicas, ya que se identifica el tipo de especies utilizadas en la recolección de néctar (Von Der Ohe et al, 2004).…”