Maria Carmen Seijo

Palynological characterization of honey from La Coruña province (NW Spain)

SUMMARYSixty samples of honey from the province of La Coruna in north-west Spain were studied. Of these, 37 were multifloral and the remaining 23 unifloral, of the following types: Rubus, Castanea, Eucalyptus, Erica and Genista. All the honeys had a very low honeydew content, and a total pollen count within class I, II or III of Maurizios classification. Ninety-eight pollen types were identified. The combination Castanea-Eucalyptus-Rubus-Erica-Genista was present in 87% of samples, and it is suggested that this characteristic combination could be used to identify the honeys of this region.

Unifloral honeys of Galicia (north-west Spain)

SUMMARYThe pollen content of 530 honeys from Galicia (north-west Spain) were analysed. Here, we report the results for the 212 honeys classified as unifloral (83 sweet chestnut honeys, 60 eucalypt honeys, 49 blackberry-type (Rubus) honeys, 12 heather honeys and eight Fabaceae honeys). Galician sweet chestnut honeys are mainly produced in the regions interior, in the provinces of Lugo and Ourense, and can be distinguished from other sweet chestnut honeys by the absence of pollen of mediterranean species (such as Lavandula stoechas, Cistus ladanifer, Olea europaea and Citrus spp.). Galician eucalypt (Eucalyptus globulus) honeys are produced in coastal areas, and can be distinguished from other eucalypt honeys by their low pollen content and the absence of pollen of mediterranean species. Blackberry-type honeys are produced in southern and central Lugo province, and can be distinguished from other Spanish blackberry-type honeys by the absence of pollen of Hedysarum coronarium and Diplotaxis erucoides. Heath...

Fungal diversity in honeys from northwest Spain and their relationship to the ecological origin of the product

Abstract The microscopic analysis of honeys has led to the identification of different structures, including pollen grains, fungal spores, yeast, algae and soot particles. Pollen grains are the most studied elements, while others, like fungal spores and yeast, are less well known. Some of these elements come from primary sources and are associated with the presence of honey dew, such as Alternaria, Stemphylium, and Leptosphaeria. A variety of yeasts are regularly present in the floral nectar of many plant species where they frequently reach high densities. A melissopalynological method was used to identify some of these microscopic elements, their frequency in honeys and the relationships with the ecological origin of the product. The pollen types most frequently identified were Castanea sativa, Rubus, Cytisus type, Eucalyptus and Erica. Cladosporium conidia were identified in 64% of the samples, Metschnikowia cells were present in more than 50% of the honeys and some plant pathogenic fungi (Leptosphaeria, Stemphylium and Urediniospores among others) were also frequently present. The presence of Metschnikowia cells was associated with blossom honey and the presence of some fungal spores was associated with honey dew contributions.

Palynological differences in the pollen content of Eucalyptus honey from Australia, Portugal and Spain

A melissopalynological study was carried out on 75 samples of Eucalyptus honey from different countries (22 from Australia, 13 from Portugal and 40 from Northwest Spain), in which a total of 145 different pollen types were identified. Of such, only Eucalyptus, Acacia, Brassica, Echium, Ligustrum, Plantago, Rumex, Taraxacum, Trifolium and Vicia pollen are present in the honeys from all three countries. Among the most abundant pollen types in Australian honeys, those belonging to the following families stand out: Myrtaceae (Angophora and Melaleuca), Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Proteaceae and Euphorbiaceae, along with Raphanus, Echium and Citrus. In the Portuguese honeys, the presence of Fabaceae, Rosaceae and Cistaceae stands out, with Castanea and Erica as secondary pollen types, while Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Cistaceae and Scrophulariaceae are the families with the highest quantity of pollen types in the samples from Spain. In the latter, the most important secondary pollen types are: Castanea, Cytisus, Erica, Lotus, Salix and Rubus.

Distribution of Castanea pollen in Galician honeys (NW Spain)

With the aim to know the importance of theCastanea pollen in the Galician honey(N. W. Spain), the interannual oscillations withinthe areas of production and the most activephenological period for bees, we have madethe melissopalynological analysis of: 599samples of honey collected during the period1990–1999 in Galicia, the production of 40beehives during three consecutive years(1990, 1991, 1992), the partial production during1990 of two beehives situated at distant pointsin our geography.

Characterization and antioxidant capacity of sweet chestnut honey produced in North-West Spain

Abstract In recent years, authentic foodstuffs have became a major requirement for consumers and producers worldwide. Honey has increased in popularity since it is associated with a natural diet, and because of honey’s authentic origin. The present study investigated the palynological characteristics, physicochemical parameters, total phenol content, flavonoid content, and radical scavenging activity of 41 sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) honeys from the northwestern part of Spain. These honeys were characterised by high values of electrical conductivity, pH, diastase content, and colour. All the samples showed a pollen combination of Castanea sativa-Rubus-Cytisus type-Erica. Fructose and glucose were 37.2% and 25.9%, while other sugars were less than 5%. Regarding the mineral content K, was the main with a mean value of 260.2 mg/100g. Other elements as Mg with a mean value of 17.1 mg/100g, Ca (mean value of 15.8 mg/100g) and P (mean value of 12.8 mg/100g) were well represented in this honey type. The phenol and flavonoid content were high (mean values of 129.8 mg/100g and 9.0 mg/100g, respectively). Multivariate statistical techniques showed the close relationship of colour, Mg, P, phenols, melezitose, and flavonoids, and the radical scavenging activity.

Characterization of Ziziphus lotus (jujube) honey produced in Algeria

The characterization of jujube (Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam) honey produced in Algeria, was carried out on the basis of their palynological and physicochemical properties: water content, pH, acidity, HMF, fructose, glucose, saccharose, melezitose, turanose, maltose, electrical conductivity, proteins, phenols, flavonoids, antioxidant activity, mineral content and the color. These honeys were characterized by high values of electrical conductivity, potassium, calcium, pH, phenol content, amber color and medium protein content. From the palynological point of view, the honeys had a high pollen content. The presence of some pollen types in the pollen spectra of honeys such as Peganum harmala, Lotus, Eucalyptus, Taraxacum, Cistus, Trifolium, Carduus and Matricaria was proposed as a geographical indicator of this honey type.

Palynological characterisation of Algerian honeys according to their geographical and botanical origin

Abstract Pollen spectra of 67 honey samples from four regions of central Algeria were studied. Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Apiaceae were the best represented families. The pollen from Hedysarum coronarium, Ziziphus lotus, Eucalyptus, Peganum harmala, Echium, Olea europaea, Citrus, Ononis natrix, Dorycnium and Euphorbia were identified as dominant pollen. Samples had significant differences in their pollen content due to their geographical origin. For instance, the presence of P. harmala was common in honeys coming from the dry grasslands and near to the oases of the desertic area of Laghouat. Ziziphus lotus, a dominant plant of the semi-desert sclerophyllous scrubland, was the principal source of honey production in the Djelfa region. In the coastal province of Blida, the presence of pollen from some Mediterranean crops such as Citrus and Olea europaea in honeys was also noted. Médea honeys had a remarkable presence of Fabaceae, principally H. coronarium. According to the botanical origin of honeys, 17 samples were classified as polyfloral and 50 as monofloral. The monofloral samples were as follows: 12 sulla (H. coronarium), 11 as jujube (Z. lotus), nine as Citrus, eight as Eucalyptus, six as harmal (P. harmala), two as Echium, one as Euphorbia and Dorycnium, respectively.

Origine botanique et zones de production des miels de Pontevedra (nord-ouest Espagne)

Summary Thirty-eight samples of honey from Pontevedra has been analysed in order to establish its botanic origin and its principles production areas. Eucalyptus globulus and Castanea sativa are the most important taxa in this honey. We have classificated twelve Eucalyptus honey, four Castanea honey and twenty—two polyfloral honey.

Evaluation of Several Romanian Honeys Based on their Palynological and Biochemical Profiles

In this work, different types of honey were characterized based on their palynological and biochemical characteristics. A mellisopalynological analysis was performed to authenticate the botanical origin of the honey samples. According to this method, the honey types were classified in: acacia (n = 10), linden (n = 10), and rape (n = 10). This article also reports the phenols content, the flavonoids content, and the antioxidant activity of honey samples. The highest level of antioxidant activity was recorded for linden honeys and the lowest for acacia honeys. The multivariate analysis demonstrated to be an important tool in classification and discrimination between different honeys concerning the palynological and biochemical properties.