The authencity of honey in relation to quality parameters

N Dugalic-Vrndic,M Mladenovic,J Keckes

doi:10.2298/bah1104771d

Abstract

In the Serbian market can be found significant quantity of honey which authenticity can be doubt. Honey is changed sensory, as well as in certain chemical quality parameters. Sometimes it happens that honey is in accordance to quality requirements but that doesn?t mean that it?s natural and authentic honey. Many analysts who are engage in testing the quality of honey have experience to recognize the honey that isn't from honey bees but the work of skilled producers. The question is how to solve the problem - how to recognize forgery honey from natural although it is in accordance to quality requirements prescribed by the legislation? The most important is that this honey isn`t selling to consumers as a natural honey. Analysts here are becoming helpless because the law is rigid and based on the quality parameters that we cannot with certainty tell if the honey is forgery or not. In this article we reviewed the results of examination of quality of honey from the market of Serbia, where the sensory evaluation demonstrated that it is a honey in which authenticity can be doubted. The results were: 1. honey that has sensory changed with good quality parameters and 2. honey that has sensory changed with quality parameters which isn?t in accordance with Book of Regulation. The conclusion is that a larger number of samples that have been sensory changed did not satisfy the chemical quality parameters, and in one part of the samples were present residues of antibiotics and sulfonamides.

Highlights

Honey is a food of animal origin and in our region is a product of the honey bee - Apis meliffera carnica
Based on the sensory evaluations of 65 honey samples with the methods used human senses (PopovicRaljić et al, 2005, 2006, 2007.) Results are obtained, where 40 (61,5 %) of honey samples does not correspond to sensory specifications given in ISO standard
Compared to other countries in the EU, where the presence of antibiotics have been found in up to one third of honey that are on the market (Bogdanov et al, 2007), honey purchased in supermarkets in Serbia is much less contaminated, as can be seen from the results of this research Source 2: honey sampled on the place of production of known beekeepers, without notice, gave good results in tests of sensory evaluation and chemical parameters, in a certain number of honey we found the presence of residues of antibiotics and sulfonamides (3 honey samples)

Summary

Introduction

Honey is a food of animal origin and in our region is a product of the honey bee - Apis meliffera carnica. Honey is a unique food that contains all the necessary elements for growth and development of organisms (amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, organic acids, minerals, pollen, essential oils, proteins, enzymes, etc.). The quality of honey depends on the geographical origin and presence of the plant species on the site. In Serbia, the most common are acacia and meadows - flower honey, and lime and sunflower honey.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion