Palynological and physicochemical properties of multifloral honey produced in some regions of Algeria

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the palynological and physicochemical properties of multifloral honey collected from different regions of Algeria. A total of 24 different honey samples have been analysed for various physicochemical parameters (moisture, electrical conductivity, pH, acidity (free, lactone and total), Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), proteins, color, total sugars, fructose, glucose, sucrose, and fructose/glucose ratio). The results obtained in the present study show the variability of the chemical composition of the honey samples. The results of the study indicated that most of the honey samples were of good quality, and were found to meet all major international honey specifications. From the palynological point of view, 62.5% of the samples had a moderate amount of pollen grains per 10 gram of honey (class II); seven samples (29.16%) were rich in pollen (class III), and only two samples (8.33%) had a low pollen concentration (class I). A total of 94 pollen types, belonging to 48 botanical families, were identified. The pollen types identified per sample vary from 15 to 37, with an average of 27 types. The best represented families were Fabaceae, Boraginaceae, and Asteraceae, which present in all the samples. The best represented secondary pollen types were Echium sp., Trifolium sp., Peganum harmala, Eucalyptus sp., Olea europaea, Chenopodium sp., Ononis natrix, and Ziziphus lotus. The qualitative pollen analysis demonstrated the important participation of nectarless plants in the makeup of the honeys, especially Chenopodium sp., and Olea europaea.