Abstract
Bulgaria and North Macedonia have a long history of the production and use of honey; however, there is an obvious lack of systematic and in-depth research on honey from both countries. The oak honeydew honey is of particular interest, as it is highly valued by consumers because of its health benefits. The aim of this study was to characterize honeydew and floral honeys from Bulgaria and North Macedonia based on their NMR profiles. The 1D and 2D 1H and 13C-NMR spectra were measured of 16 North Macedonian and 22 Bulgarian honey samples. A total of 25 individual substances were identified, including quinovose, which was found for the first time in honey. Chemometric methods (PCA—principal component analysis, PLS-DA—partial least squares discriminant analysis, ANOVA—analysis of variance) were used to detect similarities and differences between samples, as well as to determine their botanical and geographical origin. Semiquantitative data on individual sugars and some other constituents were obtained, which allowed for the reliable classification of honey samples by botanical and geographical origin, based on chemometric approaches. The results enabled us to distinguish oak honeydew honey from other honey types, and to determine the country of origin. NMR was a rapid and convenient method, avoiding the need for other more time-consuming analytical techniques.
Highlights
Honey is consumed in large quantities all over the world, and its positive effect on human health has been known since ancient times
Semiquantitative data on individual sugars and some other constituents were obtained, which allowed for the reliable classification of honey samples by botanical and geographical origin, based on chemometric approaches
The results enabled us to distinguish oak honeydew honey from other honey types, and to determine the country of origin
Summary
Honey is consumed in large quantities all over the world, and its positive effect on human health has been known since ancient times. The oak honeydew honey from both countries is of particular interest. Honeydew honey is highly valued by consumers because it is considered to be more beneficial to health than floral (nectar) honey [1]. Several studies have been published, demonstrating that the antibacterial and antioxidant activity of honeydew honey is superior to that of nectar honey [2]. Honeydew honey contains higher amounts of oligosaccharides than the floral one [3], and honey oligosaccharides have been found to possess potential prebiotic activity increasing the populations of beneficial bacteria in the human gut [4]
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