Abstract
Abstract
Honey, a natural sweetener produced by honeybees mainly from flower nectar, has been used for thousands of years not only for its nutritional value but also for its medicinal properties. As a highly priced natural product, quality control, including the authentication of the honey’s predominant nectar source, is important but can prove challenging, especially for honeys collected from botanically rich areas, such as the pristine natural forests of Western Australia. With the specific case example of Western Australian Marri (Corymbia callophylla) honey, this study explores the use of High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) as a novel analytical tool for honey authentication and quality control, using methods for (1) the authentication of its predominant floral source via HPTLC fingerprinting of its organic extract; (2) the detection and quantification of Marri honey constituents that might contribute to its antioxidant activity via a novel, validated HPTLC-DPPH analysis; and (3) the qualitative and quantitative analysis of its major sugars using a new validated HPTLC assay. HPTLC based analytical methods are also used as part of a comprehensive short- and long-term stability study to detect any temperature induced changes to Marri honey’s chemical composition and antioxidant activity, including the quantification of hydroxymethyl furfural, a potentially toxic, heat induced sugar degradant.
While presented in the context of a specific Western Australian honey, the findings of this study demonstrate the general value of using HPTLC analysis for comprehensive honey testing, including not only the authentication of a honey’s predominant nectar source, but also the analysis of a range of other honey quality parameters (e.g. honey composition, HMF content) and the ability to monitor potential impacts of handling, storage and processing on honey quality.
Honey, a natural sweetener produced by honeybees mainly from flower nectar, has been used for thousands of years not only for its nutritional value but also for its medicinal properties. As a highly priced natural product, quality control, including the authentication of the honey’s predominant nectar source, is important but can prove challenging, especially for honeys collected from botanically rich areas, such as the pristine natural forests of Western Australia. With the specific case example of Western Australian Marri (Corymbia callophylla) honey, this study explores the use of High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) as a novel analytical tool for honey authentication and quality control, using methods for (1) the authentication of its predominant floral source via HPTLC fingerprinting of its organic extract; (2) the detection and quantification of Marri honey constituents that might contribute to its antioxidant activity via a novel, validated HPTLC-DPPH analysis; and (3) the qualitative and quantitative analysis of its major sugars using a new validated HPTLC assay. HPTLC based analytical methods are also used as part of a comprehensive short- and long-term stability study to detect any temperature induced changes to Marri honey’s chemical composition and antioxidant activity, including the quantification of hydroxymethyl furfural, a potentially toxic, heat induced sugar degradant.
While presented in the context of a specific Western Australian honey, the findings of this study demonstrate the general value of using HPTLC analysis for comprehensive honey testing, including not only the authentication of a honey’s predominant nectar source, but also the analysis of a range of other honey quality parameters (e.g. honey composition, HMF content) and the ability to monitor potential impacts of handling, storage and processing on honey quality.
Original language | English |
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Pages | 29 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 30 Jun 2022 |