Honey Sugar Research Articles

Examining the Use of Polyphenols and Sugars for Authenticating Honey on the U.S. Market: A Comprehensive Review

The rise in honey production and imports into the United States necessitates the need for robust methods to authenticate honey origin and ensure consumer safety. This review addresses the scope of honey authentication, with a specific focus on the exploration of polyphenols and sugar markers to evaluate honeys in the U.S. In the absence of comprehensive federal standards for honey in the United States, challenges related to authenticity and adulteration persist. Examining the global landscape of honey authentication research, we observed a significant gap in the literature pertaining to U.S. honeys. While honeys from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia have been extensively studied, the decentralized nature of the U.S. honey market and the lack of comprehensive standards have limited the number of investigations conducted. This review consolidates the findings of global honey studies and emphasizes the need for further research studies on honey authenticity markers within the United States. We also explore previous studies on the U.S. that focused on identifying potential markers for honey authenticity. However, the inherent variability in polyphenol profiles and the lack of extensive studies of the sugar contents of honey on a global scale pose challenges to establishing universal markers. We conclude that by addressing these challenges, the field of research on polyphenols and sugars in honey can move toward more reliable and standardized methods. This advancement will enhance the use of polyphenols and other constituents like sugars as authenticity markers, ultimately benefiting both researchers and the honey industry in ensuring honey quality.

Study of authenticity, quality characteristics and bioactivity in honey samples from different botanical origins and countries

Honey is a widely consumed commodity featuring beneficial nutritional properties resulting in a high market price. Therefore, honey is a target of fraudulent practices and analytical strategies to assess honey quality and origin are highly needed. Within this context, we performed a comprehensive analytical testing for 39 honey samples originating from Greece and other countries. Analytical parameters related to honey quality control (Directive 2001/110/EC) were monitored. In detail, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and diastase activity were measured using spectrophotometric assays. Importantly, 6 samples imported by the American market exceeded the regulatory limit (40 mg/kg). The content of the main honey sugars was monitored using an accredited ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to evaporative light scattering detector (UHPLC-ELSD) and all samples were in line with the regulatory standards. In addition, chromatographic analysis was performed to determine 23 phenolic compounds as these are bioactive compounds contributing towards the health promoting effects of honey. Besides chemical characterisation, in vitro testing was also performed by monitoring the inhibitory effect of the honey samples towards acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and pancreatic lipase (PNLIP). Indeed, inhibition was noticed and in the case of PNLIP the monitored differences between Greek and samples from other countries were statistically significant. To assess honey sample authenticity, chemometric tools were employed, namely, principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The multivariate analysis revealed that the taxifolin content may be used as a marker for thyme honey from Cyprus while the total content of gallic and protocatechuic acids could be used as a marker for oak honeys. All in all, implementing several different methods based on different principles (both physicochemical and bioanalytical) in a complex analytical matrix such as honey is a great analytical challenge that we successfully faced and comprehensively demonstrated in this study.

Rapid in situ identification of honey authenticity based on RP-Nano-ESI-MS using online desalting

High-content sugar in honey frequently results in severe matrix effects and requires complex pretreatment prior to analysis, posing significant challenges for the rapid analysis of honey. In this study, the reversal polarity nano-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (RP-Nano-ESI-MS) analysis was developed for the direct evaluation of honey samples. The results indicated that RP-Nano-ESI-MS significantly mitigated the matrix effects induced by high-content sugar through the implementation of online desalting. Furthermore, RP-Nano-ESI-MS has been proven capable of not only differentiating acacia honey adulterated with 10% rape honey, but also effectively distinguishing six types of honey and exhibiting remarkable proficiency in detecting honey adulteration and botanical traceability. Additionally, RP-Nano-ESI-MS exhibited strong quantitative abilities, effectively characterizing variations in amino acid composition among six types of honey with high stability and reproducibility. Our studies underscore the significant potential of RP-Nano-ESI-MS for its rapid in situ analysis of sugar-rich foods like honey, especially in their authenticity verification.

Honey induces changes in the molecular structure and microstructure of gluten in wheat-rye sourdoughs.

Chemical oxidizers and redox enzymes have traditionally been used to enhance the quality of baked goods. However, consumers now seek natural and clean-label ingredients, avoiding those with chemical-sounding names. Honey, a natural source of glucose oxidase (GOX), represents a promising alternative to purified enzymes for baking purposes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of honey on the molecular structure and microstructure of gluten proteins in sourdough fermented by different lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains. Four wheat-rye (1:1) sourdoughs were prepared, each supplemented with honey and inoculated with a different LAB strain. Additionally, two uninoculated doughs, one with honey (honey dough) and the other without (control dough), were prepared under identical conditions. Electronic paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed the presence of hydrogen peroxide in honey solutions, indicating its role as an active source of GOX. Raman spectroscopy showed that honey addition altered the molecular structure of gluten by increasing the proportion of random coils at the expense of α-helix structures. This change is likely attributed to the competition between honey sugars and gluten proteins for water molecules in this system. Moreover, honey led to a decrease in the free sulfhydryl content of gluten compared to the control dough, suggesting an increase in disulfide crosslinking points. These enhanced protein-protein interactions were observed in scanning electron microscopy micrographs as a coarse gluten network composed of interconnected strands and fibrils. All LAB strains exhibited optimal acidification (pH < 4.3) in honey-supplemented sourdoughs, promoting the hydrolysis of gluten proteins into smaller fragments. Overall, honey-supplemented sourdoughs showed a gradual increase in the β-sheet content while decreasing the proportion of random coils over time. This trend suggests that the polypeptide fragments interacted through interchain hydrogen bonds, leading to a more ordered structure, which likely contributes to providing dough with good baking aptitude.

Sugar detection in adulterated honey using hyper-spectral imaging with stacking generalization method

This paper develops a new hybrid, automated, and non-invasive approach by combining hyper-spectral imaging, Savitzky–Golay (SG) Filter, Principal Components Analysis (PCA), Machine Learning (ML) classifiers/regressors, and stacking generalization methods to detect sugar in honey. First, the 32 different sugar concentration levels in honey were predicted using various ML regressors. Second, the six ranges of sugar were classified using various classifiers. Third, the 11 types of honey and 100% sugar were classified using classifiers. The stacking model (STM) obtained R2: 0.999, RMSE: 0.493 ml (v/v), RPD: 40.2, a 10-fold average R2: 0.996 and RMSE: 1.27 ml (v/v) for predicting 32 sugar concentrations. The STM achieved a Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) of 99.7% and a Kappa score of 99.7%, a 10-fold average MCC of 98.9% and a Kappa score of 98.9% for classifying the six sugar ranges and 12 categories of honey types and a sugar.

Purity Assessment of Honey Based on Compound Specific Stable Carbon Isotope Ratios Obtained by LC-IRMS.

The use of stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) of sugar fractions of honey is a powerful tool to detect adulteration with sugar syrups. This is accomplished by calculating differences of the δ13C values between individual honey saccharides and comparing them to published purity criteria. A liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC-IRMS) method for the determination of δ13C values of sugars in honey was previously validated by an interlaboratory comparison, but no further guidance was given how to include the obtained precision figures of the compound-specific δ13C values in the purity assessment of honey. To use existing data to estimate the standard deviation of the repeatability (sr) and reproducibility (sR) of differences (Δ δ13C) between the δ13C values of individual honey saccharides. Previously published δ13C values were used to calculate differences (Δ δ13C values) between δ13C fructose-δ13C glucose, δ13C glucose-δ13C disaccharides, etc. in a honey sample; sr and sR of Δ δ13C values were calculated according to ISO 5725-2:2019. The Δ δ13C sr and sR values were essentially of the same magnitude as the sr and sR values of δ13C values of the sugar fractions. The precision of the Δ δ13C values was used to estimate the critical difference for comparing a test result with a reference value according to ISO 5725-6:1994. This varied between 0.26 and 1.10‰. The estimated critical differences can be used to determine whether a honey test result complies with published Δ δ13C purity criteria. The proposed procedure will increase confidence in decisions based on compound-specific δ13C values regarding the conformity of honey with published purity criteria.

Short-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Chemometrics to Detect Adulteration of Honey with Sucrose Syrup

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) coupled with multivariate statistical analysis was assessed as a rapid method of detecting honey adulteration in the Philippines. The sample set contained 288 spectra of authentic and adulterated honey samples obtained from six farms in the provinces of Benguet and La Union. Spectral data were pre-processed using ParLeS software in which partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis was employed. Multivariate analyses like PLSR, principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were performed to predict the level of adulteration, reducing sugar content, and apparent sucrose content. Calibration models for predicting adulteration level (from none to highly adulterated) gave the best results using PLSR on spectral data without pretreatment (calibration R2 &gt; 0.93, validation R2 &gt; 0.94). Principal components (PCs) of the spectral data were extracted using PCA wherein the NIR absorbance bands for sugar (836-840 nm and 978-980 nm) and water (938-940 nm, 978-980 nm, 984-986 nm and 992-994 nm) in honey were identified. Using LDA, calibration models were able to classify honey based on level of adulteration and apparent sucrose; overall accuracies of 99.5% and 100% were observed, respectively. When validated, however, the LDA models could not detect pure honey (out of 6 and 11 samples, respectively), while 86.7% and 100% of adulterated honey could be detected, respectively. Further sampling is recommended to strengthen LDA models.

Influence of heavy metal ions and storage time on hydroxymethylfurfural formation in honey collected from Ilu Woreda, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

The effect of heavy metals on the formation of hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) from degradation of reducing sugars in honey collected from Ilu Woreda, West Shewa Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia were studied. The concentration level of Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni in honey sample was determined using AOAC Official Method. The concentration of HMF in honey was determined using international honey commission standards. The concentrations of heavy metals in fresh honey were 11 ± 0.001, 454 ± 0.002, 630 ± 0.001 and 1 ± 0.001 µg kg-1 for Pb, Cr, Ni and Cd, respectively. The influence of heavy metals on the formation of HMF in honey samples was studied on 5, 30 and 60 days after spiking at concentration level of 10,000 µg kg-1 of each heavy metal. The concentration of HMF for untreated honey samples was ranged 1380-2200 µg kg-1 for the storage time of 5, 30 and 60 days. The concentration of HMF in honey samples spiked with Pb, Ni, Cr and Cd were found to be in the range of 2100-2150, 1900-2430, 2100-2270 and 2050-2330 µg kg-1, respectively. The results of this study indicate that contamination of honey with heavy metal facilitate the formation of HMF.&#x0D; KEY WORDS: Fresh honey, HMF, Heavy metal ions, HPLC-DAD and Honey quality&#x0D; Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2024, 38(1), 1-10. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v38i1.1

Detecting adulteration of honey with sugar syrup using EPR spectroscopy: A feasibility study

The food adulteration is a common practice nowadays. Honey is an important food product that is getting adulterated. The substances most often incorporated into honey are sugar syrups as they are readily available. The added syrups lower the quality of the honey. Since the sugars have the same chemical composition, as the sugars in honey, there may not be many changes in the chemical parameters of pure honey and honey adulterated with sugar syrup. In this work, we are analyzing the feasibility of using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectra of the samples for detection of honey adulteration with sugar syrup. The EPR spectrums of the samples are obtained by incorporating a paramagnetic nitroxide radical.

Freezing-assisted sugaring-out liquid-liquid extraction coupled with LC-MS/MS for quantitative determination of perchlorate in honey

For the first time, a simple, quick, sensitive, and low cost method for quantification of perchlorate in honey using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed. Through freezing-assisted sugaring-out liquid–liquid extraction, one-step simultaneous extraction and clean-up of perchlorate from honey were perfectly achieved. Glucose and fructose, the most abundant sugars in honey, were almost completely removed from the extract without use of any clean-up materials. Under optimum conditions, the proposed approach exhibited satisfactory linearity, negligible matrix effects, and low detection limit of 0.05 µg/kg, providing recoveries of 96.7 %–102.3 % with relative standard deviation of < 9 % for honey samples. The validated method was applied to the analysis of perchlorate in 36 honey samples, and detection rate was 94.4 %. This work provided a simple and reliable method for extensive monitoring of perchlorate in honey and opened- up new insights for analysis of contaminants in honey matrixes.

Individual integrated approach to honey identification using instrumental methods of analysis and statistical processing of results

Bee honey is a valuable highly nutritive natural product; it is widely consumed among the population. Due to its high cost the natural honey often becomes the object of adulteration. The authenticity of honey is the most important criterion of quality, as on the one hand it ensures the biosecurity of honey, and provides the healthy market competition on the other hand. In this regard, the issue of honey identification is quite acute in all countries with developed beekeeping culture. The authors provide an overview of domestic and foreign regulatory documents regarding the authenticity of honey, as well as its status as a product with a controlled designation of origin. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, the most significant studies aimed to a method of honey authenticity confirmation were selected and brought out. These studies were carried out in the countries of the European Union, China, Brazil, the USA, Mexico and other countries. These studies showed that chromatographic methods and the method of isotope mass spectrometry are the most effective for detection of added sugars in honey, as well as for revealing the fact of feeding bees with various syrups. The authenticity of the botanical and geographical point of honey origin is usually determined by the principle of “fingerprints”. The principle involves collecting the values of an array of indicators and processing them by means of statistical analysis methods. To form a database, in addition to the above methods, methods of NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, PCR, ICP-MS and some others have become widely used. When determining the authenticity of the botanical and geographical origin of honey, it is also necessary to consider the specific features of local melliferous plants, bee species, soil composition and climatic conditions. Thus, an individual yet integrated approach to the identification of honey by means of the instrumental methods of analysis and statistical processing of results will become a powerful and reliable tool in determining its authenticity, including its botanical and geographical origin.

Physicochemical Properties and Botanical Sources of Honey from Different Areas of Ethiopia: An Implication for Quality Control

Honey is one of the important food commodities due to its nutritional and medicinal values. However, the issue of its quality and authenticity remain as important factors in consumption and marketing. This study was aimed at determining the botanical sources and quality parameters of honey samples collected from different areas of Ethiopia. The botanical sources of honey were analyzed using the melissopalynological method. Sugar profiles were analyzed using HPLC, and physicochemical properties were determined following the harmonized methods of honey analysis. Diverse plant species, including Schefflera abyssinica, Eucalyptus spp., Guizotia abyssinica., Echinops spp., Coffee arabica, Bersama abyssinica, and Rumex spp., were identified as dominant sources of honey. However, honey from the Gimbo district contains no pollen fingerprints, and its source has remained unknown. The average values of honey sugar compositions ranged from 30.3–46.7%, 29.9–40.3%, 15.0–22.2%, and 0.28–4.4% for fructose, glucose, sucrose, and maltose, respectively. Although the quality parameter values of most honeys fit the acceptable range of national and international honey quality standards, honeys collected from Guassa district revealed some abnormal characteristics. This abnormality may be related with poor handling, processing, or suspected for honey adulteration. Thus, regular testing and monitoring of honey quality are crucial in order to maintain its natural properties as well as control the current widespread practice of honey adulteration in Ethiopia.

Honey, its Quality and Composition and their Responsible Factors

Honey is a sweet viscous food substance made by honey bees. It contains more than 180 nutritional substances, due to which it is known for boosting immunity. Honey is comprised of easily digestible honey sugars and energy providing nutrients. It is used as an ingredient in hundreds of manufactured foods for its sweetness, colour, flavor, caramelization and viscosity. It’s various physicochemical constituents, moisture content (&lt;25%), reducing sugars (&gt;65%), acidity (&lt;0.2%), electrical conductivity (&lt;0.8 mS/cm for blossom honey), sucrose content (5%), hydroxy methyl furfuraldehyde (HMF) (&lt;40 mg kg-1) etc. contribute to its nutritional quality, granulation, flavor, texture, fermentation and storage quality. Other properties viz. diastase content, proline content, phenols, pollen density etc. are important indicator of quality and origin of honey. Honey is the reservoir of different minerals, with potassium being most abundant element. Owing to its chemical composition, honey has been reported to have significant impact on human nutrition and health. Its quality is evaluated based on standard quality parameters standardized by different authorities. The quality and composition of honey highly depends on the type of flowers utilized by the bees, climatic conditions and various other factors like floral sources, seasons, beekeeper activities, harvesting of honey, processing, storage, agrochemicals, adulteration and geographical origin. The demand of honey is also increasing in upward trend; thus, the analysis of these quality parameters helps us to ensure that the honey we are consuming fulfills the required parameters.

Associations of free sugars from solid and liquid sources with cardiovascular disease: a retrospective cohort analysis

BackgroundThe World Health Organization recommends a 10% total energy (TE%) limit for free sugars (i.e., added sugars and naturally occurring sugars in fruit juice, honey, and syrups) based on evidence linking higher intakes with overweight and dental caries. Evidence for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is limited. Impacts may differ by sex, age group, and solid vs. liquid sources; liquids may stimulate more adverse CVD profiles (due to their rapid absorption in the body along along with triggering less satiety). We examined associations of consuming total free sugars ≥ 10 TE% with CVD within four sex and age-defined groups. Given roughly equal free sugar intakes from solid and liquid sources, we also evaluated source-specific associations of free sugars ≥ 5 TE% thresholds.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, we estimated free sugars from 24-h dietary recall (Canadian Community Health Survey, 2004–2005) in relationship to nonfatal and fatal CVD (Discharge and Canadian Mortality Databases, 2004–2017; International Disease Classification-10 codes for ischemic heart disease and stroke) through multivariable Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for overweight/obesity, health behaviours, dietary factors, and food insecurity. We conducted analyses in separate models for men 55 to 75 years, women 55 to 75 years, men 35 to 55 years, and women 35 to 55 years. We dichotomized total free sugars at 10 TE% and source-specific free sugars at 5 TE%.ResultsMen 55 to 75 years of age had 34% higher CVD hazards with intakes of free sugars from solid sources ≥ 5 TE% vs. below (adjusted HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.05- 1.70). The other three age and sex-specific groups did not demonstrate conclusive associations with CVD.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that from a CVD prevention standpoint in men 55 to 75 years of age, there may be benefits from consuming less than 5 TE% as free sugars from solid sources.

Analysis of Sugars in Honey Samples by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis Using Fluorescence Detection

The applicability of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection (LEDIF) for the separation of sugars in honey samples was studied. An amount of 25 mM ammonium acetate (pH 4.5) with 0.3% polyethylene oxide (PEO) was found to be optimal for the efficient separation of carbohydrates. 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (APTS) was used for the labeling of the carbohydrate standards and honey sugars for fluorescence detection. The optimized method was applied in the quantitative analysis of fructose and glucose by direct injection of honey samples. Apart from the labeling reaction, no other sample preparation was performed. The mean values of the fructose/glucose ratio for phacelia honey, acacia honey and honeydew honey were 0.86, 1.61 and 1.42, respectively. The proposed method provides high separation efficiency and sensitive detection within a short analysis time. Apart from the labeling reaction, it enables the injection of honeys without sample pretreatment. This is the first time that fluorescence detection has been applied for the CE analysis of sugars in honeys.

A Modified Folin-Ciocalteu Assay for the Determination of Total Phenolics Content in Honey

The Folin-Ciocalteu assay is a widely used method for measuring the total phenolic content (TPC) in honey, but it can be affected by the presence of reducing sugars in honey, which can lead to interference and an over-estimation of its TPC. To optimize the Folin-Ciocalteu assay for honey analysis, the effect of pH on the assay was investigated. A number of pH scenarios were tested using different concentrations of Na2CO3 (0.00%, 0.75%, 0.94%, and 7.50%) in order to minimize reducing sugar interference and maximize the reaction of phenolics in the assay. The modified TPC method was then validated in accordance with current International Council on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. The findings of this study demonstrate that the traditional Folin-Ciocalteu assay (using 7.50% aqueous Na2CO3 solution, pH 10.8) leads to a significant overestimation of the TPC of honey due to the interference of reducing sugars. However, a pH of 7.9, achieved by using a 0.75% aqueous Na2CO3 solution, provides suitable conditions to account for most of the phenolic compounds without interference from reducing sugars. This finding was further confirmed by testing various sugar solutions and artificial honey which yielded TPC values below the established limit of detection and quantification of the assay. However, a slight increase in pH, even by a moderate deviation (pH 8.9), leads to significant discrepancies in absorbance readings, indicating that pH control is crucial for the accurate analysis of TPC in honey.

Determination of sugar content in honey using LC-Raman and programmable pump-Raman methods.

We combined (i) liquid chromatography and Raman spectrometry (LC-Raman) and (ii) programmable pump and Raman spectrometry (PP-Raman) to separate and identify compounds in a mixture. These techniques were applied to conduct a quantitative analysis of the sugars in honey. The spectral and temporal axes of the LC-Raman data were analyzed using the MCR-ALS analysis procedure, which enabled the separation and identification of four sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, and trehalose). The PP-Raman method was employed to examine the sugar concentration dependence of the intensity pattern of the Raman spectrum, and the linear concentration dependence of the intensity was obtained. The sugar contents were quantitatively determined from the integrated area of the elution peaks. The result was consistent with those derived from mass spectrometry and previous studies. The origin of the errors in the derived sugar contents is discussed. Our study presents a novel quantitative LC-Raman spectrometric method that does not rely on resonance or surface enhancement effects.

Continuous production of honey oligosaccharides in packed-bed reactors with immobilized α-glucosidase from Metschnikowia reukaufii

The α-glucosidase from the yeast Metschnikowia reukaufii, a producer of honey sugars, was immobilized on chitosan beads and biomimetic silica nanoparticles under mild and green conditions. Chitosan based derivatives showed apparent activities of about 40–70 U·g−1, while silica entrapped enzyme nanoparticles contained 486 U·g−1. Compared to the soluble enzyme, the immobilized biocatalysts showed maximum hydrolytic activity at higher temperatures and broader pH interval, in addition to an excellent batch operational stability, maintaining 75–90% of its initial activity after ten subsequent cycles of 20 min reactions. Furthermore, chitosan beads and silica nanoparticles biocatalysts were packed into reactor columns and for the first time employed in the continuous overproduction of isomelezitose and trehalulose. Both systems operated continuously for 30 days with excellent isomelezitose yields of about 62 and 54% of the total sugar synthesised, respectively. The bioreactor based on chitosan beads had an average productivity of 0.5 kg L−1 per day. This production was increased by almost 10 times (4.9 kg L−1 per day) when a micro-reactor based on the biomimetic silica nanoparticles was used. Consequently, this work constitutes an interesting approach for the production of isomelezitose on an industrial scale, a new high-value functional sugar with interesting applications.

Evaluation of HMF levels in unbranded flower honeys in terms of food safety

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is formed by reducing sugars in honey in acidic environments by the Maillard reaction and is known as a carcinogenic, mutagenic and genotoxic compound. The aim of this study is to investigate the toxic HMF content of unbranded flower honey samples sold under the sun under inappropriate conditions and unsupervised on the highway sides and to make an evaluation in terms of food safety. The quality of the analysis results was guaranteed by participating in an international proficiency test. Analysis was performed on a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) device with Diode Array Detector (DAD) and Refractive Index (RI) detectors- The HMF levels of 5 honey samples were determined to exceed the legal limit (40 mg kg-1). It is revealed by the current study that the honey sold on the roadside is not safe in terms of toxic HMF. In addition, 5 samples were not found to comply with the regulation in terms of glucose + fructose content and 2 samples in terms of fructose/glucose ratio. Thus, it has also been determined that these honeys are not reliable in terms of purity.

Sugars and °Brix in honey from Apis mellifera, Melipona beecheii, and commercial honey from a local market in Mexico

Fructose and glucose are the main sugars in honey, and their concentration is expected to correspond to the specifications of official standards. The study compared the composition of sugars and ºBrix in honey from Apis mellifera and Melipona beecheii bees, and a product marketed as bee honey in a local market. The sugar content was determined by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a refractive index detector, and °Brix was determined using a refractometer. None of the honey analyzed had detectable levels of sucrose. The average concentration of fructose and glucose in honey was 36.4 and 28.9 g 100 g-1 for Apis mellifera, and 38.5 and 28.2 g 100 g-1 for honey from Melipona beecheii. For honey from the local market, the respective concentrations of these sugars were 7.5 and 17.0 g 100 g-1. The fructose:glucose ratio (F:G) was higher than one in Apis mellifera and Melipona beecheii honey, and 0.4 for honey from the local market. The three types of honey compared had similar values for °Brix. It is concluded that the honey under study by Apis mellifera and Melipona beecheii have similar qualities within international standards. In contrast, the product marketed as bee honey in the local market did not meet official regulations specifications and could not be considered authentic.