**Preface to "Authenticity of Honey: Characterization, Bioactivities and Sensorial Properties"**

Honey is a natural food product with significant nutritional value, and several studies have proved its health-beneficial properties. The floral source of honey is one of the most significant factors contributing to the composition of honey, as it incorporates the nectar available to be transferred by bees during honey production. The chemical composition, stability and authenticity of honey are integral in determining the quality of this product. Hence, unifloral honey authentication requires different analytical procedures including sensorial profile, quality parameters and pollen analysis combined with statistical evaluation. There is a demand for this type of study because consumers request a greater variety of correctly characterized unifloral honeys in the market and with more information on their functional and healing properties. Therefore, establishing well-defined quality criteria and their origin guarantees the appreciation of honey in the market both locally and internationally.

This book aims to collect interdisciplinary approaches that combine physicochemical, palynological, sensory analyses and statistical treatments as tools for the authentication of honey as food. Finally, the editors appreciate the efforts of all the authors who participated in this Special Issue with their contributions.

> **Olga Escuredo and M. Carmen Seijo** *Editors*
