*2.12. Fluorescence Spectroscopy Research*

The advantage of fluorescence spectroscopy is the high sensitivity and specificity of classification. Fluorescence spectroscopy requires only minimal sample preparation. The results of the above studies confirmed that single synchronous fluorescence spectra of different honeys differ significantly due to their different physicochemical properties and provide sufficient data to clearly differentiate between groups of honeys. Studies have shown that this method is a valuable and promising technique for honey authentication. Honeys are well known to contain numerous fluorophores, such as polyphenols and amino acids. Some of them have been proposed as markers for monofloral honeys—ellagic acid for heather honey; hesperetin for citrus honey; phenylalanine and tyrosine, which turned out to be characteristic of lavender honey and made it possible to distinguish it from eucalyptus honey; and tryptophan and glutamic acid, which turned out to be useful for differentiating honeydew and flower honeys. Due to the presence of such powerful fluorophores, fluorescence spectroscopy can be helpful in confirming the botanical origin of honey.

In addition, these tests can be the basis for identifying honey overheating and identifying the botanical origin of filtered honeys, in which pollen analysis is not possible [131–142].

The limitation of this method is building a database of spectra characteristic for honeys. The method is fast, cheap and without a negative impact on the environment (no reagents are used) [139].
