Determination of important biochemical properties of honey to discriminate pure and adulterated honey with sucrose ( Saccharum officinarum L.) syrup

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to determine biochemical properties of honey samples and to discriminate pure and adulterated honey produced by the standard bee feeding method (control honey), the shaking method (pure blossom honey), and overfeeding (100 kg/colony syrup) with sucrose syrup (adulterated honey). The biochemical properties evaluated were moisture, ash, acidity, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), specific sugars (i.e. fructose, glucose, fructose–glucose, sucrose, and maltose), diastase activity, δ 13C value (honey), δ 13C value (protein), electrical conductivity, potassium, vitamin C, and proline. Fifteen honey samples were analyzed by discriminant analysis stepwise method. Proline, electrical conductivity and sucrose were found as discriminative characters of samples. Based on these three properties 100% of original group cases (samples) correctly classified in their real group. We found that the honey produced by feeding with 100 kg sucrose syrup per colony contained the sucrose as low as pure blossom honey. Therefore, the sugar (sucrose, fructose and glucose) content of honey cannot be used to distinguish between adulterated (sucrose syrup) and pure blossom honey.