Abstract
Analyses were made of regionally representative samples of Finnish honey, 90 from 1977 and 68 from 1978. The average sugar composition, determined by thin layer chromatography, was: 47.3 % fructose, 43.9 % glucose and 8.7 % oligosaccharides. The ratio fructose/glucose was 1.1. Dry matter averaged 82.4 % and pH 3.9. Vitamin analysis of five sub samples gave 2700/µg/100 g ascorbic acid, 9/µg/ 100 g thiamine, 39 µg/ 100 g riboflavin and 1020/µg/100g niacin. The proportion of glucose was positively and the proportion of oligosaccharides negatively correlated to the count of Brassicaceae pollen in honey. The tendency to crystallize was explained better by the ratio glucose/oligosaccharides than by the ratios fructose/glucose, glucose/water or (glucose-water)/fructose. In sugar composition and in tendency to crystallize, seasonal and regional variation existed.
Highlights
The main components of honey are various sugars
The average composition of the world honeys is 15-26 % water, 22-54 % fructose and 20-54 % glucose, the remaining ca. 12 % consisting of oligosaccharides and other components
The results obtained for the main chemical properties of Finnish honeys from 1977 and 1978 agree with those of the analyses made by PUROKOSKI and FORSIUS in 1962 and 1963
Summary
The main components of honey are various sugars. It is a difficult task to analyse the sugars of honey in detail, and suitable methods are still to be developed DONER 1977). The average composition of the world honeys is 15-26 % water, 22-54 % fructose and 20-54 % glucose, the remaining ca. WHITE 1975, DONER 1977). The 21 samples of Finnish honeys from 1937 and seven samples from 1938 analysed by MARTIMO (1945) averaged 81.1 % dry matter, 70.7 % fructose and glucose, 1.8 % saccharose, pH 3.91 and diastase activity 14.9. The average composition and the general appearance was: colour light yellow or yellow, consistency crystallized, DM 83.3 %, total sugars 77 %, fructose 38.5 %, glucose 34.5 %, saccharose 1.2
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