Usefulness of Amino Acid Composition To Discriminate between Honeydew and Floral Honeys. Application to Honeys from a Small Geographic Area

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2004-01, Vol.52 (1), p.84-89
• Main Authors: Iglesias, María Teresa, de Lorenzo, Cristina, Polo, María del Carmen, Martín-Álvarez, Pedro Jésus, Pueyo, Encarnacíon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acids - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry, Physical; Confectionery products and chocolate industries, honey; Cucumis; Flowers; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glutamic Acid - analysis; Honey - analysis; Honey - classification; Spain; Tryptophan - analysis
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf030454q

With the aim of finding methods that could constitute a solid alternative to melissopalynological and physicochemical analyses to determine the botanical origin (floral or honeydew) of honeys, the free amino acid content of 46 honey samples has been determined. The honeys were collected in a small geographic area of ∼2000 km2 in central Spain. Twenty-seven honey samples were classified as floral and 19 as honeydew according to their palynological and physicochemical analyses. The resulting data have been subjected to different multivariant analysis techniques. One hundred percent of honey samples have been correctly classified into either the floral or the honeydew groups, according to their content in glutamic acid and tryptophan. It is concluded that free amino acids are good indicators of the botanical origin of honeys, saving time compared with more tedious analyses. Keywords: Floral honey; honeydew honey; free amino acids