Comparison of the Physicochemical Properties, Microbial Communities, and Hydrocarbon Composition of Honeys Produced by Different <i>Apis</i> Species
The chemical composition and quality of honey are influenced by its botanical, geographic, and entomological origins, as well as climatic conditions. In this study, the physicochemical characteristics, microbial communities, and hydrocarbon compounds of honey produced by <i>Apis mellifera</...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| author | Guozhi Zhang Yao Liu Yaling Luo Cuiping Zhang Shanshan Li Huoqing Zheng Xiasen Jiang Fuliang Hu |
| author_facet | Guozhi Zhang Yao Liu Yaling Luo Cuiping Zhang Shanshan Li Huoqing Zheng Xiasen Jiang Fuliang Hu |
| author_sort | Guozhi Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The chemical composition and quality of honey are influenced by its botanical, geographic, and entomological origins, as well as climatic conditions. In this study, the physicochemical characteristics, microbial communities, and hydrocarbon compounds of honey produced by <i>Apis mellifera</i>, <i>Apis cerana</i>, <i>Apis laboriosa</i>, <i>Apis dorsata</i>, and <i>Apis florea</i> were elucidated. The physicochemical profile of the honey exhibited significant differences across species, including moisture content (18.27–23.66%), fructose (33.79–38.70%), maltose (1.10–1.93%), electrical conductivity (0.37–0.74 mS/cm), pH (3.36–3.72), diastase activity (4.50–29.97 diastase number), and color (37.90–102.47 mm). Microbial analysis revealed a significant abundance of lactic acid bacteria, particularly the <i>Apilactobacillus</i> genus in <i>A. laboriosa</i> honey and the <i>Lactobacillus</i> in <i>A. florea</i> honey, indicating significant probiotic potential. Chemometric methods, principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to classify the honey samples based on the 12 beeswax-derived hydrocarbons. The OPLS-DA model demonstrated 100% accuracy in predicting the entomological origin of honey, indicating that specific hydrocarbons are reliable markers for honey classification. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b2745e149de3441ab847eb9971bb097a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-b2745e149de3441ab847eb9971bb097a2025-08-20T02:50:33ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582024-11-011323375310.3390/foods13233753Comparison of the Physicochemical Properties, Microbial Communities, and Hydrocarbon Composition of Honeys Produced by Different <i>Apis</i> SpeciesGuozhi Zhang0Yao Liu1Yaling Luo2Cuiping Zhang3Shanshan Li4Huoqing Zheng5Xiasen Jiang6Fuliang Hu7College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaEngineering Technology Research Center of Anti-Aging Chinese Herbal Medicine of Anhui Province, Biology and Food Engineering School, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236000, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaEngineering Technology Research Center of Anti-Aging Chinese Herbal Medicine of Anhui Province, Biology and Food Engineering School, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236000, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaThe chemical composition and quality of honey are influenced by its botanical, geographic, and entomological origins, as well as climatic conditions. In this study, the physicochemical characteristics, microbial communities, and hydrocarbon compounds of honey produced by <i>Apis mellifera</i>, <i>Apis cerana</i>, <i>Apis laboriosa</i>, <i>Apis dorsata</i>, and <i>Apis florea</i> were elucidated. The physicochemical profile of the honey exhibited significant differences across species, including moisture content (18.27–23.66%), fructose (33.79–38.70%), maltose (1.10–1.93%), electrical conductivity (0.37–0.74 mS/cm), pH (3.36–3.72), diastase activity (4.50–29.97 diastase number), and color (37.90–102.47 mm). Microbial analysis revealed a significant abundance of lactic acid bacteria, particularly the <i>Apilactobacillus</i> genus in <i>A. laboriosa</i> honey and the <i>Lactobacillus</i> in <i>A. florea</i> honey, indicating significant probiotic potential. Chemometric methods, principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to classify the honey samples based on the 12 beeswax-derived hydrocarbons. The OPLS-DA model demonstrated 100% accuracy in predicting the entomological origin of honey, indicating that specific hydrocarbons are reliable markers for honey classification.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/23/3753<i>Apis mellifera</i> honey<i>Apis florea</i> honeyphysicochemical propertiesbacterial community |
| spellingShingle | Guozhi Zhang Yao Liu Yaling Luo Cuiping Zhang Shanshan Li Huoqing Zheng Xiasen Jiang Fuliang Hu Comparison of the Physicochemical Properties, Microbial Communities, and Hydrocarbon Composition of Honeys Produced by Different <i>Apis</i> Species Foods <i>Apis mellifera</i> honey <i>Apis florea</i> honey physicochemical properties bacterial community |
| title | Comparison of the Physicochemical Properties, Microbial Communities, and Hydrocarbon Composition of Honeys Produced by Different <i>Apis</i> Species |
| title_full | Comparison of the Physicochemical Properties, Microbial Communities, and Hydrocarbon Composition of Honeys Produced by Different <i>Apis</i> Species |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of the Physicochemical Properties, Microbial Communities, and Hydrocarbon Composition of Honeys Produced by Different <i>Apis</i> Species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of the Physicochemical Properties, Microbial Communities, and Hydrocarbon Composition of Honeys Produced by Different <i>Apis</i> Species |
| title_short | Comparison of the Physicochemical Properties, Microbial Communities, and Hydrocarbon Composition of Honeys Produced by Different <i>Apis</i> Species |
| title_sort | comparison of the physicochemical properties microbial communities and hydrocarbon composition of honeys produced by different i apis i species |
| topic | <i>Apis mellifera</i> honey <i>Apis florea</i> honey physicochemical properties bacterial community |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/23/3753 |
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