Floral Origin Research Articles

Effect of late harvest and floral origin on honey antibacterial properties and quality parameters

Honey is a food of high importance due to its nutritional value. The effect of late harvest and pollen composition on honey quality and antimicrobial activity was studied. Different physicochemical parameters were determined as quality indicators. The HMF content, diastase activity, sugar content, antimicrobial activity, and hydrogen peroxide content were selected in current work as the crucial parameters for evaluation. The results proved that the late harvested honey sample showed a vast number of pollens from different blossom periods. The hydrogen peroxide content and antimicrobial activity of late harvested honey was significantly increased (proved by t-test), whereas the honey seems to be affected significantly from weather conditions since the HMF content was also increased. The diastase activity was proved to be lower than the respective in fresh honey, whereas no difference was observed on the sugar content. Finally, the effect of origin and processing in late harvested honey was discussed.

VIS/NIR imaging application for honey floral origin determination

Nondestructive methods are of utmost importance for honey characterization. This study investigates the potential application of VIS-NIR hyperspectral imaging for detection of honey flower origin using machine learning techniques. Hyperspectral images of 52 honey samples were taken in transmittance mode in the visible/near infrared (VIS-NIR) range (400–1000nm). Three different machine learning algorithms were implemented to predict honey floral origin using honey spectral images. These methods, included radial basis function (RBF) network, support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF). Principal component analysis (PCA) was also exploited for dimensionality reduction. According to the obtained results, the best classifier (RBF) achieved a precision of 94% in a fivefold cross validation experiment using only the first two PCs. Mapping of the classifier results to the test set images showed 90% accuracy for honey images. Three types of honey including buckwheat, rapeseed and heather were classified with 100% accuracy. The proposed approach has great potential for honey floral origin detection. As some other honey properties can also be predicted using image features, in addition to floral origin detection, this method may be applied to predict other honey characteristics.

Floral and Geographical origin Identification of Hungarian Honey With Electronic Tongue and Classical Analytical Methods

Honey has been widely used for health care and as sweetener since the ancient times. Due to its great nutritional value and its high price, honey is one of the most adulterated products on the market. Therefore, there is a need to develop new quick measurement methods to recognize the adulteration. Almost 80 authentic honey samples of different floral and geographical origins were collected for our experiments, focusing mainly on Hungarian honey. Various analytical methods were used for the determination of the nutritional values of the honey samples, e.g. antioxidant capacity, polyphenol content, ash content, pH, conductivity, etc. These measurements aim to complete the scarcely available data on Hungarian honeys. In addition, we determined sensory properties by color and electronic tongue analyses. Electronic tongue enables easy sample preparation and results are delivered in a short time. Evaluating the results by different multivariate statistical methods, determination of the floral and geographical origin of the samples was possible based on the results of the electronic tongue measurements. The results achieved with these classifications methods have proven by building up a robust database electronic tongue can be used for origin authentication of domestic honey samples.

Classification of raw Ethiopian honeys using front face fluorescence spectra with multivariate analysis

Front face fluorescence measurements were carried out to classify raw honeys as such based on their floral origins. The excitation-emission matrix patterns of mixed flower, pseudoacacia, arabica, fials-indica, and amygdalina raw honeys along with fake honey sample from the market were examined by recording emission wavelength from 250 to 600 nm with excitation wavelength in the range of 200–550 nm. The spectra of fake honey samples demonstrated low intensity and did not fit within any one of the classified raw honeys. The multivariate analyses of the spectra were performed using principal component analysis and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA). The SIMCA model showed that the adulterate honey samples were detected with 100% sensitivity and specificity.

FTIR-ATR spectroscopy of pollen and honey as a tool for unifloral honey authentication. The case study of rape honey

In recent years, there has been growing interest in verifying the floral origin of unifloral honeys, as a very interesting natural remedy. Fourier Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is more and more frequently used in honey identification and their quality control. The aim of this study was to develop procedures allowing for authentication of rape (Brassica) honey by chemometrics and spectroscopy. The FTIR-ATR spectrum of rape pollen was used as a reference to determine the rape pollen content within the investigate rape honey samples. The higher percentage of rape pollen contained the rape honey, the more similarities were observed between the respective spectra of these two samples, while the spectra of other honey types differed significantly. Discriminant analysis demonstrated, that the absorbance values at 1540 cm−1, 1650 cm−1, 1740 cm−1 were the parameters unambiguously identifying rape honey. According to the Classification Tree Analysis, peaks at 1000–1200 cm−1, 1650 cm−1, 1740 cm−1 wavenumbers were significant with threshold absorbance values 0.70787, 0.11467 and 0.3605, respectively. The FTIR-ATR spectroscopy technique supplemented by chemometrics allow for quick identification of rape honey.

Honey and epithelial to mesenchymal transition in wound healing: An evidence-based review

Abstract This review inspects all the available report on association of honey and the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) event in wound healing. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify relevant studies on honey and EMT. The search was done in Medline via Ebscohost and Scopus database to obtained relevant articles published between 1823 and 2017. The main inclusion criteria were research articles published in English that reported changes in the EMT markers in in vitro wound healing model when subjected to honey. The literature search identified 19 potentially relevant articles, whereby 8 met the inclusion criteria. Two types of in vitro wound healing model were included, cutaneous and corneal wound. All studies reported a positive effect of honey in wound healing. In terms of EMT markers, honey was shown to upregulate mesenchymal markers and downregulated epithelial markers providing the evidence of EMT activation by honey. However, the effects on EMT varied dependent on the floral origin of the honey. This review provides good evidence that honey regulates the process of EMT and has a positive impact on wound healing.

AVALIAÇÃO SENSORIAL DO MEL DE CINCO DIFERENTES ORIGENS FLORAIS

The objective was to know the profile of the consumer and to evaluate the acceptance, intention of purchase and preference of the honey of five different floral origins. The attributes acceptance tests (aroma, taste, appearance, viscosity, overall impression) were evaluated using a structured nine-point scale and those with a five-point structured scale. The results of the consumer profile were evaluated in percentage. The results of acceptance and intention to purchase were submitted to analysis of variance and the differences of the means compared by Tukey test at the level of 5% of significance. The order-preference results were analyzed using the Friedman test. The majority of the tasters: are female (59%); Consumes honey (79%); Does not know how to differentiate traditional honey from organic (64%); Buy organic honey (89%); Knows (67%), consumes (75%) and will buy (78%) honey from the local producer; Prefers to buy (67%) and consume (72%) honey with seal of the Federal Inspection Service. Most consumers are knowledgeable about honey, but do not usually read product labels. Regardless of the flowering type, all honey samples had a good acceptance (7.04 to 7.86) for all parameters evaluated and good intention to buy (3.76 to 4.14). Honey from wildflowers was more preferred when compared to orange blossom, sertão and grapevine. Regardless of the type of flowering, all the samples had 73 Colloquium Agrariae, vol. 13, n. Especial 2, Jan–Jun, 2017, p. 72-82. ISSN: 1809-8215. DOI: 10.5747/ca.2017.v13.nesp2.000211 an acceptability index (IA) above 70%. Therefore all samples will be accepted by the consumer public.

Beebread from Apis mellifera and Apis dorsata. Comparative Chemical Composition and Bioactivity

Beebread is a valuable bee product, both for bee nutrition and for humans. The high nutritional and bioactive properties of beebread were evaluated by chemical composition analysis of beebread from Apis mellifera and Apis dorsata. Bee bread harvested from Romania and India, coming from Apis mellifera and Apis dorsata bees, were evaluated for their chemical composition. Analyses were made in APHIS Laboratory from USAMV Cluj, using validated methods for bee products. Lipids were determined by the Soxhlet extraction method, total protein content was determined by Kjehldahl method, sugar spectrum was determined by high performance liquid chromatography with refractive index detection (HPLC-IR). Water content of beebread samples were situated between 11.45 and 16.46%, total protein content between 16.84 and 19.19% and total lipids between 6.36 and 13.47%. Beebread has high bioactive properties which can be expressed as antioxidant and/or antibacterial activity. Chemical composition and bioactive properties of beebread is influenced by floral origin of the pollen which the bees collect and place in combs for fermentation. Also the climatic conditions have an important role in developing different fermentation compounds, that may act as antioxidants or antibacterial agents.

Characterization of Chinese Unifloral Honeys Based on Proline and Phenolic Content as Markers of Botanical Origin, Using Multivariate Analysis.

The phenolic and proline content were determined in honey samples of different floral origins (rapeseed, sunflower, buckwheat and Codonopsis) from five different regions of China. The phenolic and proline profile of these samples were used to construct a statistical model to distinguish honeys from different floral origins. Significant differences were identified among the studied honey samples from multivariate chemometric methods. The proline content varied among the four types of honeys, with the values decreasing in the order: buckwheat > Codonopsis > sunflower > rapeseed. Rapeseed honeys contained a high level of benzoic acid, while rutin, p-coumaric acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid were present at relatively high levels in buckwheat honeys. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that rapeseed honey could be distinguished from the other three unifloral honeys, and benzoic acid, proline and kaempferol could serve as potential floral markers. Using 18 phenolic compounds and proline the honey samples were satisfactorily classified according to floral origin at 94% correct prediction by linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The results indicated that phenolic compounds and proline were useful for the identification of the floral origin of the four type honeys.

A modified FOX-1 method for Micro-determination of hydrogen peroxide in honey samples

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a major antibacterial activity-associated biomarker in honey. Measurement of endogenous H2O2 in honey is of great value in prediction of the H2O2-depended antibacterial activity and characterization or selection of honey samples for their use as an antibacterial agent or natural food preservative. Considering current methods for H2O2 determination are either time-consuming or complicated with their high-cost, a study was conducted to modify and validate the spectrophotometry-based ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange (FOX-1) method for micro-determination of H2O2 in honey samples. The result suggested that the proposed FOX-1 method is fast, sensitive, precise and repeatable. The method was successfully applied for the analysis of a total of 35 honey samples from 5 floral origins and 33 geographical origins. The proposed method is low-cost and easy-to-run, and it can be considered by researchers and industry for routine analysis.

FT-MIR supported Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy based study of sugar adulterated honeys from different floral origin

This study sought to detect the presence of sucrose as an adulterant in selected honey varieties from different floral origins by employing Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) technique which has been simultaneously supported by Fourier Transform-Mid Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-MIR) measurements to provide a rapid, robust yet simple platform for honey quality evaluation. Variation of electrical parameters such as impedance, capacitance and conductance for 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60% and 70% (w/w) sucrose syrup (SS) adulterated honey samples are analyzed and their respective current-voltage (I-V) characteristics are studied. Capacitance, conductance and net current flowing through the system are observed to decrease linearly whereas system impedance has been found to increase similarly with the increase in adulterant content. Also, FT-MIR measurements in the spectral region between 1800cm−1 and 650cm−1 reveal the increment of absorbance values due to the addition of SS. Full-Width-at-Half-Maximum (FWHM) is estimated from the spectral peak 1056cm−1 for all pure and adulterated honey samples and is observed to be linearly increasing with increase in adulterant content. Finally, the coefficient of sensitivity has been extracted for all varieties of honey considered in terms of the measured conductance values.

Molecular Tracing of the Origin of Six Different Plant Species in Bee Honey Using Real-Time PCR.

The quality of honey is significantly influenced by floral origin. Mislabeling floral species occurs frequently in bee honey products. To protect consumers from economic fraud and maintain a fair market environment, methods to identify floral species in honey are necessary. In our study, real-time PCRs were established, targeting six honey types mainly produced in China (canola, Chinese milkvetch, Chinese chaste tree, locust tree, litchi, and longan). Sensitivity testing on DNA from plant tissues exhibited LODs of about 0.5-5 pg/μL. For DNA extracts of pollen sediments from different honey species, LODs ranged from 13.6 to 403.2 pg/μL. In an experiment to determine the practical LODs of honey in which adulterant honey was spiked in the genuine honey, adulterant honey as low as about 0.1-0.5% was detected in 90-100% in 10 parallel tests. Additionally, pollen was spiked in the honey and stored under various conditions to investigate the migration of pollen DNA into the honey supernatant. Finally, the efficiency of our method was investigated by testing honey samples of unknown compositions from different geographic regions. Of the 159 honey samples that were supposed to be monofloral that had been collected in five provinces, a small portion were found to be contaminated with foreign pollen (7%). The methods proved to be specific, sensitive, and reliable in identifying the six plant species in honey, which would be a useful tool during the market supervision and QC of honey products.

IDENTIFICATION OF FLAVONOIDS IN IRAQI HONEY AND COMPARISON WITH OTHERS KIND BY HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH UV DETECTION

Honey is rich in phenolic acids and flavonoids, which exhibit a wide range of biological effects and act as natural antioxidants. The analysis of polyphenols has been regarded as a very promising way of studying floral and geographical origins of honeys. The aim of this study was to determine, flavonoid in honey samples collected from different region in Iraq and Comparison with others kind. The flavonoids which measured in honey samples are (Myricetin, Quercetin, Hesperdin, Naringenin, Apigenin, Kaempferol, Chrisin). Chromatographic Separation was performed using a reversed phase column C18 and acetonitrile 60% (v/v) flow rate 1.0 ml/min, pH 5.5 at 280 nm. All calibration curves of the flavonoid compounds showed good linearity (r -0.9999) within the test range. Concentration of flavonoids ranged from Myricetin (1.903- 18.5) mg/kg, Quercetin (3.31-22.01) mg/kg, Hesperdin (4.55-16.2) mg/kg, Naringenin (3.2-24.68) mg/kg, Apigenin (6.76-28.81) mg/kg, Kaempferol (3.31-38.13) mg/kg, Chrisin (2.0-28.0) mg/kg respectively.

Strategy for comparative untargeted metabolomics reveals honey markers of different floral and geographic origins using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry

Honey discrimination based on floral and geographic origins is limited by the ability to determine reliable markers because developing hypothetical substances in advance considerably limits the throughput of metabolomics studies. Here, we present a novel approach to screen and elucidate honey markers based on comparative untargeted metabolomics using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap). To reduce metabolite information losses during sample preparation, the honey samples were dissolved in water and centrifuged to remove insoluble particles prior to UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap analysis in positive and negative electrospray ionization modes. The data were pretreated using background subtraction, chromatographic peak extraction, normalization, transformation and scaling to remove interferences from unwanted biases and variance in the experimental data. The pretreated data were further processed using principal component analysis (PCA) and a three-stage approach (t-test, volcano plot and variable importance in projection (VIP) plot) to ensure marker authenticity. A correlation between the molecular and fragment ions with a mass accuracy of less than 1.0ppm was used to annotate and elucidate the marker structures, and the marker responses in real samples were used to confirm the effectiveness of the honey discrimination. Moreover, we evaluated the data quality using blank and quality control (QC) samples based on PCA clustering, retention times, normalized levels and peak areas. This strategy will help guide standardized, comparative untargeted metabolomics studies of honey and other agro-products from different floral and geographic origins.

Volatile organic compounds of Thai honeys produced from several floral sources by different honey bee species.

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of four monofloral and one multifloral of Thai honeys produced by Apis cerana, Apis dorsata and Apis mellifera were analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The floral sources were longan, sunflower, coffee, wild flowers (wild) and lychee. Honey originating from longan had more VOCs than all other floral sources. Sunflower honey had the least numbers of VOCs. cis-Linalool oxide, trans-linalool oxide, ho-trienol, and furan-2,5-dicarbaldehyde were present in all the honeys studied, independent of their floral origin. Interestingly, 2-phenylacetaldehyde was detected in all honey sample except longan honey produced by A. cerana. Thirty-two VOCs were identified as possible floral markers. After validating differences in honey volatiles from different floral sources and honeybee species, the results suggest that differences in quality and quantity of honey volatiles are influenced by both floral source and honeybee species. The group of honey volatiles detected from A. cerana was completely different from those of A. mellifera and A. dorsata. VOCs could therefore be applied as chemical markers of honeys and may reflect preferences of shared floral sources amongst different honeybee species.

Spectroscopic study of honey from Apis mellifera from different regions in Mexico

The objective of this study was to analyze by Raman and UV–Vis-NIR Spectroscopic techniques, Mexican honey from Apis Mellífera, using representative samples with different botanic origins (unifloral and multifloral) and diverse climates. Using Raman spectroscopy together with principal components analysis, the results obtained represent the possibility to use them for determination of floral origin of honey, independently of the region of sampling. For this, the effect of heat up the honey was analyzed in relation that it was possible to greatly reduce the fluorescence background in Raman spectra, which allowed the visualization of fructose and glucose peaks. Using UV–Vis-NIR, spectroscopy, a characteristic spectrum profile of transmittance was obtained for each honey type. In addition, to have an objective characterization of color, a CIE Yxy and CIE L*a*b* colorimetric register was realized for each honey type. Applying the principal component analysis and their correlation with chromaticity coordinates allowed classifying the honey samples in one plot as: cutoff wavelength, maximum transmittance, tones and lightness. The results show that it is possible to obtain a spectroscopic record of honeys with specific characteristics by reducing the effects of fluorescence.

Authentication of honeys of different floral origins via high-performance thin-layer chromatographic fingerprinting

This paper explores the high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) fingerprinting of non-sugar constituents for the authentication of honeys using highly antibacterial Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and Marri (Corymbia calophylla) honeys sourced from Western Australia, different Leptospermum-derived Manuka honeys, and a typical table honey from an undisclosed floral source as test samples. As is demonstrated in this study, using HPTLC fingerprinting, it is possible to define differences in botanical origin as the honey fingerprints exhibit a unique profile of bands (i.e., Rf values, color) and peak profiles (i.e., Rf and peak intensity values, peak intensity ratios) that differ distinctly from each other. The identification of patterns of common bands among honeys derived from the same floral source as authentication tool is possible. Further, slight differences among honeys from the same botanical origin might be due to age, processing, or regional factors. The HPTLC analysis of two differently a...

Harmonização de metodologias de análise da própolis

Propolis (bee glue) is a resinous bee hive product used by man since ancient times due to its pharmaceutical properties. The variability of its chemical composition, linked with the floral origin, requires the analysis of several quality parameters. Nevertheless, at the European level, in addition to the inexistence of legal requirements for quality control, there is also a lack of analytical procedures, despite the presence in the literature of several methodologies, which are often not comparable. The International Honey Commission, an worldwide network aiming to implement and develop new analytical methods for the control bee products and the establishment of quality standards, defined as a priority, within the propolis working group, the harmonization of analytical procedures for propolis quality evaluation, particularly in respect to ash, wax (using two alternative methods), balsamic content after extraction with ultrasonic or mechanical agitation as well as the analysis of its phenolic composition through the assessment of total phenolics, flavones/flavonols and flavanones/di-hydroflavonols. This collaborative study was engaged by 15 entities, including 14 laboratories and an international company working with propolis. According to the results obtained in our laboratory it is possible to draw a first evaluation on the applied methods, in particular the simplicity on the protocol implementation, with exception for the wax content, which proved to be laborious and non-adapted for routine analysis. Nevertheless, the wax values from both methodologies seems to agree, independently of its level in the samples. For the extraction procedure (balsamic content), the samples showed values between 43% and 70%, independent of the use of mechanical stirring or sonication, which shows the advantage of this second method, which enables a significant reduction in labor time, regardless of the absolute value. Overall, the results found for the tested protocols, for the different parameters, revealed a constant performance, besides de natural oscillation associated with the floral origin.

Honey as a Complementary Medicine.

The beneficial effects of honey on human health have long been recognized. Today, many of those positive effects have been studied to elucidate its mode of action. This review briefly summarizes the best studied features of honey, highlighting it as an appealing alternative medicine. In these reports, the health benefits of honey range from antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activity to anticancer action, metabolic and cardiovascular benefits, prebiotic properties, human pathogen control, and antiviral activity. These studies also support that the honey’s biological activity is mainly dependent on its floral or geographic origin. In addition, some promising synergies between honey and antibiotics have been found, as well as some antiviral properties that require further investigation. Altogether, these studies show that honey is effectively a nutraceutical foodstuff.

Floral Diversity of Pollen Collected by Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) – Validation of the Chromatic Assessment Method

Abstract Pollen collected from flowers by forager bees is the only natural protein source for the hive. This nutritional compound is fundamental for the nurse bee and brood development, and for the queen activity. Pollen has a strong influence on colony health. It is also known that the pollen quality, in terms of the amino acid profile and total protein content, varies significantly according to the floral origin. For this reason, the palynological diversity assessed in corbicular pollen is a good measure of the quality of the environment the bees live in, in terms of available food. An international research initiative “C.S.I. Pollen” aims to elaborate a pollen diversity map for all of Europe, carried out by beekeepers. Chromatic assessment of pellet colours will be used as a method. In our study, we wanted to validate this idea, through the comparison between the two methods: chromatic assessment of the diversity of pollen pellet colours and palynological assessment of the real pollen type diversity. In other words, we wanted to verify whether the pellet-colour profile reflects the palynological one. We found a significant correlation between results obtained from the two methods but some improvements are also proposed in order to increase the determination coefficient and to reduce the differences given by the two answers.