Correlations of sensory parameters with physicochemical characteristics of Argentinean honeys by multivariate statistical techniques

Abstract

Summary Honey acceptability is mainly determined by its colour, crystallisation degree and aroma. In the present work, the sensory characteristics and physicochemical parameters of Argentinean honeys from different ecoregions were analysed. Moisture content, Pfund colour, diastase activity, hydroxymethylfurfural content, electrical conductivity, sugar profile and volatile compounds were analytically determined in honey samples, while sensory characteristics (crystal size, fluency score, sweetness, persistence, granularity, crystallisation, colour intensity and aroma) were evaluated by a trained panel. Significant correlations were found between honey crystallisation degree and hydroxymethylfurfural content and diastase activity (P ≤ 0.05). It could be confirmed that honey crystallisation interferes with the visual perception of colour. Floral, fresh fruit, ripe fruit, balsamic and wood aromas could be successfully linked to honey volatile profile (P ≤ 0.05). These results demonstrate that the parameters that could best guarantee the consumers’ preference can be successfully associated with the chemical composition of honey by multivariate statistical analysis.

Sensory Profile and Physico-Chemical Properties of Artisanal Honey from Zulia, Venezuela

“…The moisture results showed a confidence interval (95%) of between 19.4 to 19.9%, with a mean value of 19.6% (Table 2), and they were in concordance with the maximum limit that was set by COVENIN (≤20%) and CAC (<21%). These observations are in agreement with the findings of various researchers for Venezuelan multifloral honeys [9], but their values were higher than those of Argentinian [28,29,38,40], Uruguayan [30], and Brazilian multifloral honeys [31], and lower than Mexican ones [27].…”

“…The EC results, with a confidence interval (95%) of 0.37 to 0.47 mS/cm, and a mean value of 0.42 (Table 2), were below the maximum allowed by the EU standard [36], and the Codex [17] of 0.8 mS/cm. These values are similar to the findings in honeys from Arana Delta and Islands in Argentina [40], but higher than those that were reported in multifloral honeys from Lara and Yaracuy in Venezuela [11], Buenos Aires, Northwest and Espinal in Argentina [28,38,40], and Tabasco in Mexico [27], and lower than those of Patagonian forest honeys in Argentina [40] and Uruguayan honey [30].…”

“…In the current research, the HMF content displayed a confidence interval (95%) of from 22.4 to 29.6 mg/kg with a mean value of 26.0 mg/kg (Table 2), which was below the maximum acceptable level that was established by CAC and EU, and similar to that reported by Baroni et al [29] for southern Córdoba honeys in Argentina. These values are lower than those that were reported by other authors [31,40] and higher than those in other studies [28,30,33,38].…”

“…The diastase activity that is found in our study presents a confidence interval (95%) of from 8.71 to 10.5, with a mean value of 9.59 (Table 2), higher values than the 8 Göthe units that are required as quality criteria by the CAC [17]. The consulted works report higher values than those that were obtained for this parameter in the current study [29,31,40].…”

Production of GABA‐enriched honey syrup using Lactobacillus bacteria isolated from honey bee stomach

“…Functional specifications like pH, moisture, and ash content were accurately determined according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists techniques (Horwitz, Chichilo, & Reynolds, ). The phenolic content of the used honey was measured employing the process from the Pontis et al work (Patrignani et al, ; Pontis, Costa, Silva, & Flach, ) and is indicated in milligram of catechin equivalent per 100 g of honey.…”