Publication: A chemical characterization of various honey types produced by different bee species across Thailand
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Issued Date
2025-12-01
Resource Type
eISSN
29498244
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105022289293
Journal Title
Food and Humanity
Volume
5
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Food and Humanity Vol.5 (2025)
Suggested Citation
Suppasat T., Samerthung W., Pavara T., Chaikan K., Silprasit K., Thummajitsakul S. A chemical characterization of various honey types produced by different bee species across Thailand. Food and Humanity Vol.5 (2025). doi:10.1016/j.foohum.2025.100845 Retrieved from: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14740/51685
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Honey is a functional food that is made by a natural process from bees collecting nectar from flowers, which its medicinal properties depend on geographical and botanical origins. Hence, this study was focused on chemical characterization of various honey types produced by Apis cerana , Apis florea and Apis mellifera using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy combined with cluster and principle component analysis (PCA). The A. cerana samples revealed the highest amount of fructose, glucose and sucrose (38.43, 38.79 and 3.42 %, respectively) and the highest sum of glucose and fructose content with 77.22 %, significantly (P-value < 0.05). The percentages of Brix of all honey samples were in the range of 75.50–78.91 %. The ratios of fructose/glucose of honey samples from A. cerana (0.99), A. florea (1.06) and A. mellifera (0.98) were below 1.11 that indicated rapidly crystallization. The percentages of moisture (19.36–22.50 %) and the HMF level (4.58–91.94 mg/kg) of honey samples were detected, which some of the honey samples showed excessive HMF and moisture. Furthermore, sugar content correlated with the moisture, Brix and HMF level, significantly. The FTIR result showed different patterns among honey samples at a wavenumber range of 502.89–1344.46 cm<sup>−1</sup>. All honey samples showed FTIR spectra involved functional groups of phenolic compounds, protein, amino acid, lipid, carbohydrates and sugars. The combination of cluster and PCA analysis based on FTIR data and physicochemical parameters can be used to discriminate honey samples from different botanical origins. The excessive HMF and moisture in honey samples should be concerned and improved its values to responsible for consumer requirements.