Geographical discrimination of honeys through antioxidant capacity, mineral content and colour

Abstract

Summary The assessment of geographical origin of honey is economically important for producers and consumers as every region may present particular quality characteristics. In this study, honeys from the seven different regions of Buenos Aires province (Argentina) were characterised by their antioxidant capacity (DPPH, FRAP), total phenolic content (TPC), mineral composition, colour and ash. Honeys showed significant differences among their antioxidant capacity (DPPH), ash, colour and mineral content (P ≤ 0.05). Besides, a good antioxidant activity and low amounts of Cu and Zn (<1.0–1.5 and 0.7–1.8 mg kg−1, respectively) were found in the samples. Significant Pearson's correlations (P ≤ 0.05) among the different parameters were found. Moreover, the linear discriminant analysis allowed the classification of honeys in their original groups with a prediction success of 98%. The present results suggest that honeys could be correctly classified by their geographical origin through their TPC, colour, ash and mineral concentrations.

Impact of botanical source and processing conditions on physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of honey in the northern part of Thailand

“…Our results showed that darker colour of longan honey were related to higher ash content and electrical conductivity. Mineral content is normally related to the colour of honey; a higher value leads to a darker and stronger colour (Patrignani et al, 2015). Usually, there is a positive correlation between the colour, mineral content and electrical conductivity (Escuredo et al, 2013;Karabagias et al, 2014).…”

Correlations of sensory parameters with physicochemical characteristics of Argentinean honeys by multivariate statistical techniques

“…PCA reduces the dimensionality of the data set by transforming it into a new set of variables (the principal components) without losing much information (Patrignani et al, 2015). In this way, it was possible to recognise different sets of honey samples characterised by their odour intensity, sweetness, persistency and the parameters associated with their crystallisation.…”

“…S1). Pampa, Parana Delta and Islands, and Espinal ecoregions are located in Buenos Aires province, the most important apicultural region of Argentina (Patrignani et al, 2015). Patagonian forest is located in the southwest of Argentina; although it is not an important apicultural region, it lacks human intervention and offers possibilities for a contamination-free apiculture industry (Forcone, 2008).…”

“…Argentina is the second largest honey exporter after China, and the quality of its products is recognised worldwide (Patrignani et al, 2015). Nevertheless, honey is mainly sold in bulk without any floral classification, and there is only limited information on its sensory characteristics (Ciappini et al, 2016).…”

“…It is mainly composed of carbohydrates (60%-85%) water (12%-23%) and some other minor components (Machado De-Melo et al, 2017). Moreover, honey is considered an important source of antioxidants with significant benefits for health, mostly related to the presence of phenolic compounds (especially flavonoids) (Patrignani et al, 2015;Castiglioni et al, 2017). On the other hand, other products such as propolis and bee pollen have also shown beneficial effects.…”