engleski

Physico-Chemical Profiles of Croatian Honey with an Overview of Its Consumption among Healthcare Students

Consumers are becoming more aware of consumption of honey - the food with properties beneficial for health. In accordance with The European Union Council Directive Relating to Honey, as well as with the current legislation in the Republic of Croatia, the requirement for labeling the botanical origin of nectar honey is the presence of the dominant flower pollen as well as sensory and physicochemical analysis. The paper is a confirmation of botanical origin, the profile of physicochemical parameters with differences within the seasons/regions and the consumption of honey. This research covered 200 samples of black locust honey, collected from beekeepers during two seasons in five Croatian regions - 20 samples from each region. A survey was conducted among 151 students to gather information on their honey consumption habits. The method used in the paper was melissopalynological and physicochemical analysis, ANOVA and a survey. All the tested samples contain the sufficient number of pollen grains >20% of Robinia pseudoacacia. The results of physicochemical quality parameters are as follows: mean water 15.99-18.03% ; free acids 8.16-12.94 mEq/1000g ; electrical conductivity 0.12-0.22 mS/cm ; reducing sugars 66.94-70.88 g/100g ; sucrose 0.10-2.90 g/100g ; diastasis 9.07-15.14 DN ; HMF 0.50-18.99 mg/kg. Conducted data analysis of variance within physicochemical parameters regarding seasons and regions showed statistically significant difference among seasons p < 0.05 for water, while for diastasis activity it showed statistically significant difference among regions p < 0.05. Out of 141 (93%) respondents who consume honey, 63 (44%) of them consume it in quantities which are smaller than the Croatian average.

black locust honey, physicochemical parameters, botanical origin

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