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Honey: Chemical Composition, Stability and Authenticity

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 July 2019) | Viewed by 24696

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Prof. Dr. Olga Escuredo

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Department of Vegetal Biology and Soil Science, Faculty of Science, University of Vigo, As Lagoas, 32004 Ourense, Spain
Interests: characterization of honeybee products; melissopalynology; unifloral honeys; physicochemical properties; sensorial characterization; healthy compounds
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Prof. Dr. M. Carmen Seijo

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Dear Colleagues,

The complex composition of honey is affected by botanical and geographical origin, climate conditions, collection, methods of analysis and storage. Honey originates from nectar plants of which partial contributions profile the characteristics of the final product. There is a great scientific and commercial interest worldwide concerning the characterization of unifloral honeys due to the special nutritional characteristics they present. Honey is a health food, traditionally used as an alimentary supplement to which are attributed many antioxidants and antimicrobials properties.

In this Special Issue, we aim at publishing innovative research and review papers on: physicochemical characteristics, sensorial characteristics, botanical origin identification, nutritional value, functional properties; antimicrobial food compounds; food compounds and health, food authenticity and adulteration.

Prof. Dr. Olga Escuredo
Prof. Coello M. Carmen Seijo
Guest Editors

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

Honey characterisation
Botanical origin
Nutritional value
Physicochemical characteristics
Biological properties
Biochemical markers
Crystallization

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 174 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Honey: Chemical Composition, Stability and Authenticity

by Olga Escuredo and M. Carmen Seijo

Foods 2019, 8(11), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8110577 - 15 Nov 2019

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4436

Abstract

This Special Issue contains innovative research papers on the characterization, chemical composition and physical properties of honey. This constitutes very useful information to avoid frauds and to guarantee the authenticity of this food product. The knowledge of the particularities of honey is increasingly demanded by beekeepers and consumers, and also by labs to typify honeys according to their botanical origin and to check their quality. Melissopalynological, sensorial and physicochemical techniques are being used to study the characteristics of honeys samples from different plant sources and geographical areas. The combination of these analytical techniques with mathematical and statistical methods or chemometrics allows researchers to identify a set of variables or individual parameters that define independent samples, providing a practical solution to classify honey according to the geographical or the botanical origin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honey: Chemical Composition, Stability and Authenticity)

Research

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16 pages, 1220 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contribution to the Chromatic Characterization of Unifloral Honeys from Galicia (NW Spain)

by Olga Escuredo, María Shantal Rodríguez-Flores, Sergio Rojo-Martínez and María Carmen Seijo

Foods 2019, 8(7), 233; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8070233 - 29 Jun 2019

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3684

Abstract

Honey color and other physicochemical characteristics depend mainly on the botanical and geographical origin. The study of these properties could make easier a correct classification of unifloral honey. This work determined the palynological characteristics and some physicochemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity, and color (Pfund scale and the CIELa*b* coordinates), as well as the total content of the bioactive compounds phenols and flavonoids of ninety-three honey samples. Samples were classified as chestnut, blackberry, heather, eucalyptus, and honeydew honey. The study showed a close relationship between the physicochemical variables and the botanical origin. The five types of honey presented different physicochemical properties among them. A principal component analysis showed that Hue, lightness, b*, and Chroma variables were important for the honey types classification, followed by Erica pollen, pH, Cytisus, and Castanea variables. A forward stepwise regression analysis was performed introducing as dependent variables the color (mm Pfund) and the Chroma and the Hue variables. The regression models obtained explained 86%, 74%, and 86% of the variance of the data, respectively. The combination of the chromatic and physicochemical and pollen variables through the use of multivariable methods was optimal to characterize and group the honey samples studied. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honey: Chemical Composition, Stability and Authenticity)

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14 pages, 768 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physicochemical Properties and Pollen Profile of Oak Honeydew and Evergreen Oak Honeydew Honeys from Spain: A Comparative Study

by María Carmen Seijo, Olga Escuredo and María Shantal Rodríguez-Flores

Foods 2019, 8(4), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8040126 - 17 Apr 2019

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5138

Abstract

This work investigates the similarities and differences of oak honeydew (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) and evergreen honeydew (Quercus ilex L.) honey produced in Spain. For this purpose, the physicochemical characteristics of 17 samples from oak honeydew and 11 samples from evergreen honeydew collected in different geographical regions were analyzed. All the samples accomplished European Union requirements for honey consumption. Both honey types had amber dark color; however, the evergreen oak honey was clearer than oak honey, having higher mean values in a* and b* coordinates of CIELab scale. In general, both honey types exhibited high electrical conductivity, a moderate value of pH, medium to low water content, and high diastase activity. The reducing sugar content was significantly lower and maltose content was significantly higher in evergreen honeydew. In addition, total phenols and total flavonoid contents, the antioxidant activity and the melissopalynological analysis was performed. The oak honeydew honey had a higher abundance of Castanea, Rubus and Erica pollen grains, while the evergreen oak honeydew honey had a higher abundance of Lavandula, Olea europaea or Anthyllis cytisoides. A multivariate analysis using the most representative pollen types and physicochemical components facilitated the differentiation of the honey samples, thus this information can be useful for the honey characterization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honey: Chemical Composition, Stability and Authenticity)

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25 pages, 1367 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Eucalyptus, Chestnut and Heather Honeys from Portugal Using Multi-Parameter Analysis and Chemo-Calculus

by Ioannis K. Karabagias, Miguel Maia, Vassilios K. Karabagias, Ilias Gatzias and Anastasia V. Badeka

Foods 2018, 7(12), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7120194 - 30 Nov 2018

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 5651

Abstract

The present study was conducted to evaluate the quality and bio-functional properties of Portuguese honeys of different botanical and geographical origins. Quality parameter analyses included the determination of palynological (predominant, secondary, minor and isolated pollen percentage), physicochemical (°Brix, moisture content, pH, electrical conductivity, free acidity, total dissolved solids, salinity, vitamin C content and specific weight) including colour-metrics (CIELAB, Pfund and colour intensity determinations), along with volatile compounds identification using solid phase micro-extraction coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Bio-activity parameter analysis included the determination of in vitro antioxidant activity and total phenolic content using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl and Folin-Ciocalteu assays, respectively. Melissopalynological analysis showed that Portuguese honeys were classified as eucalyptus, chestnut and heather, recording significant variations (p < 0.05) among physicochemical, volatile and bio-activity parameter analyses according to both: botanical and geographical origin. Based on the multi-parameter analysis data Portuguese honeys could be characterized by a distinctive colour, a characteristic aroma, whereas conform to the European legislation relating to honey identity and quality. Specific attention should be given in the case of heather honey which showed the highest in vitro antioxidant activity and total phenolic content. Parameters that were also highly correlated using bivariate statistics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honey: Chemical Composition, Stability and Authenticity)

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13 pages, 431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Discrimination of Clover and Citrus Honeys from Egypt According to Floral Type Using Easily Assessable Physicochemical Parameters and Discriminant Analysis: An External Validation of the Chemometric Approach

by Ioannis K. Karabagias and Sofia Karabournioti

Foods 2018, 7(5), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7050070 - 03 May 2018

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4897

Abstract

Twenty-two honey samples, namely clover and citrus honeys, were collected from the greater Cairo area during the harvesting year 2014–2015. The main purpose of the present study was to characterize the aforementioned honey types and to investigate whether the use of easily assessable physicochemical parameters, including color attributes in combination with chemometrics, could differentiate honey floral origin. Parameters taken into account were: pH, electrical conductivity, ash, free acidity, lactonic acidity, total acidity, moisture content, total sugars (degrees Brix-°Bx), total dissolved solids and their ratio to total acidity, salinity, CIELAB color parameters, along with browning index values. Results showed that all honey samples analyzed met the European quality standards set for honey and had variations in the aforementioned physicochemical parameters depending on floral origin. Application of linear discriminant analysis showed that eight physicochemical parameters, including color, could classify Egyptian honeys according to floral origin (p < 0.05). Correct classification rate was 95.5% using the original method and 90.9% using the cross validation method. The discriminatory ability of the developed model was further validated using unknown honey samples. The overall correct classification rate was not affected. Specific physicochemical parameter analysis in combination with chemometrics has the potential to enhance the differences in floral honeys produced in a given geographical zone. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honey: Chemical Composition, Stability and Authenticity)

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