Botanical and physicochemical evaluation of natural bee honey from Poland

The chemical composition of honey depends highly on the floral origin of the nectar foraged by bees. The main components of honey are saccharides (75%) and water (20%). The other substances (about 5%) are organic acids, dextrins, enzymes, amino acids, phenolic compounds and bioelements. They determine the color and aroma of natural honey and its health-related properties. Forty five samples of different unifloral and polyfloral honey types were tested. The aim of these studies was analysis of biologically active substances occurring in honey and their synthetic analogs with potential anticancer properties. Physicochemical parameters (conductivity, water content, pH, polyphenol content and HMF) as well as melissopalynological and organoleptic (color, taste, smell) analysis of honey were performed. For selected varieties of honey the phenolic acid content was determined by TLC. In the case of five samples of honey there was a contradiction between the botanical origin of honey declared by the manufacturer and our studies. For three samples of honey a low content of pollen was shown which is characteristic of a mixture of Polish honey and others coming from countries beyond the European Union (EU). Small pollen grains present in one sample might have come from anemophilous plants such as grass or rice. Taking into account the physicochemical parameters of tested honey samples they meet the requirements of EU and Polish food legislation. Acknowledgement: This work was supported by grant no. N N312 111838 from the National Science Centre in Poland.