Screening of the Honey Aroma as a Potential Essence for the Aromachology

Jana Štefániková,Marek Šnirc,Patrícia Martišová,Peter Šedík,Vladimír Vietoris

doi:10.3390/app11178177

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the aroma profiles of four kinds of Slovak honey (sunflower, honeydew, acacia, and linden) by a qualitative and quantitative screening of their volatile compounds and by gas chromatography for the potential use in the aromachology and the business sphere. The results showed that several unique volatiles were identified in one kind of honey, while they were not identified in the remaining ones. The acacia honey had the unique volatile linalool oxide (1.13–3.9%); linden honey had the unique volatiles nerol oxide (0.6–1.6%), ethyl esters (0.41–8.78%), lilac aldehyde D (6.6%), and acetophenone (0.37%). The honeydew honey had the unique volatiles santene (0.28%) and cyclofenchene (0.59–1.39%), whereas 2-bornene (0.43–0.81%) was typical for sunflower honey. While linden honey was characterized by fruity ethyl esters, honeydew honey had more monoterpenoid compounds. In the principal component analysis model, the four kinds of honey could not be differentiated by aroma volatiles. However, it was possible to classify the linden and sunflower honey using the LDA. In conclusion, the current study provided experimental evidence that the marker compounds from different kinds of honey might be promising candidates for production of inhaling aromas.

Highlights

An aroma represents an effective marketing tool and is considered to be a new way of in-store communication with customers [1]
We confirmed that each kind of honey had its own unique volatiles, but the aroma differences by PCA in the tested monofloral honey samples were not confirmed
The LDA cannot clearly classify acacia and honeydew honey based on the selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Summary

Introduction

An aroma represents an effective marketing tool and is considered to be a new way of in-store communication with customers [1]. Even retailers apply specific aromas to create comfortable environment where customers would spend more time and money by purchasing more products [3]. These odors and aromas are distributed by installing aromatizers or diffusers in certain areas [4]. ; Bercík et al [6] indicates that implementing aromatization in business spaces has positive impact on economic indicators, including the sector of services

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