Honey composition and its relation with physicochemical properties

Honey composition and its relation with physicochemical properties 

Honey composition varies, depending on floral origin, the climate, environmental and seasonal conditions, as well as agricultural practices (Al-Mamary et al., 2002 Anklam, 1998 Arraez-Roman et al., 2006 Azeredo et al., 2003 Baltrusaityte et al., 2007 Kii iik et al., 2007). Honey contains about 200 different substances (Al-Mamary et al., 2002 Arraez-Roman et al., 2006 Kiigiik et al., 2007), carbohydrates being the main constituents, followed by the minerals, proteins, vitamins, lipids, organic acids, amino acids (Finola et al., 2007), phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids), and other phytochemicals (Bertoncelj et al., 2007). 

Carbohydrates are the major constituents of honey, corresponding to 95-99% of the dry matter (Olaitan et al., 2007). In average terms, they are composed mainly of fructose (38.2 g/100 g), glucose (31.3 g/100 g), 

TABLE 4.1 Composition of nectar honey (g/100 g), mean values. The minimum and maximum values are also presented (source Bogdanov, 2009). 

Water is the second major component of honey (17.2 g/100 g Table 4.1). It depends not only on environmental factors, such as the weather and humidity inside the hive, but also on the treatments applied during nectar and honey collection and storage (Olaitan et al., 2007). It is an important quality parameter because it predicts the shelf life of the product and the capacity of the honey to remain stable and free from fermentation. Higher 

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A. Honey composition and its relation with physicochemical properties... 

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