Abstract
Honey is a natural sweetener, with an osmotic effect on microorganisms due to the increased sugar content and low amount of water. Cyclitols are minor constituents of honey. They play a defensive role in plants against unfavorable environmental conditions. Honey’s physicochemical properties can vary, resulting in a wide range of colors, flavors, scents, antioxidant activity, dissimilar values of pH, acidity, electrical conductivity, etc. Some literature regarding correlation between honey types is already available, but a comprehensive study displaying an ample evaluation of multifarious aspects is still needed. This study focuses on the correlation between 18 honey types, originating from 10 countries, collected during four years, summarizing a total of 38 samples. A total of 6 physicochemical properties and 18 target components (sugars and cyclitols) were considered as variables. A correlation analysis is presented between the investigated parameters and between honey types, together with the statistical analysis which allowed for observation of the clusters’ distribution according with the investigated variables.
Highlights
Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) are herbivorous pollinator insects, consuming nectar and pollen throughout their life cycles
The properties and composition of honey are dependent on its geographical origin, type of flowers, harvesting season, environmental factors, and treatments administered by beekeepers [6]
The current study presents a comprehensive comparison of 18 types of honey, coming from 10 countries and collected over four years in terms of the correlation between their assortment as well as the content of sugars and cyclitols
Summary
Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) are herbivorous pollinator insects, consuming nectar and pollen throughout their life cycles. The nectar is primarily an energy source which, in addition to sugars contains various other components with important nutritional properties. Honey is a natural product, known for its antibacterial properties [1] and medical uses [2], with osmotic effect due to the increased sugar content and low amount of water [3]. Besides being a high-energy carbohydrate product with easy digestible sugars, such as those in fruits, honey contains around 180 substances, including: amino acids, enzymes, proteins, vitamins, minerals, phenolic compounds, etc [5]. The properties and composition of honey are dependent on its geographical origin, type of flowers, harvesting season, environmental factors, and treatments administered by beekeepers [6]
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