Evaluation of physicochemical characteristics, phenolic compounds, mineral content, and color of commercial honeys from Cauca (Colombia)

• Main Authors: Rubén Andrés Ortega-Bonilla, Carlos Hernán Morales-Hormiga, Diana María Chito-Trujillo
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (Corpoica) 2021-05-01
• Series: Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria
• Subjects: honey; multivariate analysis; nutritional value; physicochemical properties; quality
• Online Access: http://revistacta.agrosavia.co/index.php/revista/article/view/1894/879
• ISSN: 0122-8706; 0122-8706

Honey production in Colombia is a secondary activity mainly aimed at regional supply. At the national level, the Cauca department ranks seventh in production. Honey, like food, must satisfy consumer preferences and meet the quality criteria under the law to guarantee its nutritional and functional properties. These characteristics are associated with factors such as botanical and geographical origin, beekeeping practices, among others. The geographical origin of different honeys can be defined from their physicochemical parameters. This paper analyzes the physicochemical characteristics (free acidity, pH, °Brix, ash, electrical conductivity, insoluble matter, and moisture), the content of total phenolic compounds (TPC), minerals and color (Pfund and CIELab scales) of 24 samples of commercial honeys purchased in six municipalities in Cauca (Colombia): Caldono, La Vega, Paispamba, Silvia, Timbío and Totoró. Not all samples met the requirements of the NTC-1273 standard for floral honeys, except Silvia’s, and about 20 % of the samples showed characteristics of honeydew honey. The predominant color in the honeys analyzed was light amber and amber, and a strong correlation between color expressed as mm Pfund and TPC was found (r = 0.9229, p < 0.05). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) partially distinguished the honeys from Paispamba, Silvia, and Totoró based on the evaluated physicochemical parameters and mineral content. We suggest the analysis of a more significant number of honey samples to achieve differentiation by geographic origin.