mineral content; heavy metals; botanical origin; principal component analysis; sugar profile
Abstract :
[en] : This study comprehensively analyzes the mineral and heavy metal profiles of
seven honey types, focusing on the contents of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium
(Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb),
with particular emphasis on honey produced in eastern Morocco. Multifloral honey was
found to have the highest total mineral content (661 mg/kg), while rosemary honey had the
lowest (201.31 mg/kg), revealing the strong influence of floral and botanical origin. Darker
honey, such as multifloral and jujube, were richer in minerals, with potassium consistently
being the most abundant, followed by calcium, magnesium, and iron, while cadmium
and lead remained within safe, trace-level concentrations. Additionally, sugar profiling
showed that all samples contained fructose, glucose, maltose, turanose, erlose, sucrose,
and palatinose, with particularly high fructose and glucose contents in multifloral honey.
Principal component analysis (PCA) accounted for 75% of the variation and identified three
distinct groups of honey based on mineral content multifloral, eucalyptus, and rosemary.
Multifloral and eucalyptus honey had higher concentrations of iron, magnesium, and calcium, whereas rosemary honey was richer in zinc and copper. The findings underscore the
potential of honey as a marker of environmental quality and suggest that eastern Morocco
honey possesses favorable characteristics for national and international commercialization.
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy Chemistry
Author, co-author :
Abeslami, Azzedine; Laboratory of Environment and Applied Chemistry (LCAE), Team: Physical Chemistry of the Natural Resources and Processes, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
Farissi, Hammadi; Laboratory of Environment and Applied Chemistry (LCAE), Team: Physical Chemistry of the Natural Resources and Processes, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco ; Chemical Engineering for Resources Valorization Group (UAE/L01FST), Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Morocco
Cacciola, Francesco; Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, Former Veterinary School, Messina Institute of Technology c, University of Messina, Viale G. Palatucci snc, Messina, Italy
El Bachiri, Ali; Laboratory of Environment and Applied Chemistry (LCAE), Team: Physical Chemistry of the Natural Resources and Processes, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
Fauconnier, Marie-Laure ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Chemistry for Sustainable Food and Environmental Systems (CSFES)
Bruneau, Etienne; Beekeeping Research and Information Centre (CARI), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Talhaoui, Abdelmonaem; Laboratory of Environment and Applied Chemistry (LCAE), Team: Physical Chemistry of the Natural Resources and Processes, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
Language :
English
Title :
Unveiling the Mineral and Sugar Richness of Moroccan Honeys: A Study of Botanical Origins and Quality Indicators
Publication date :
02 January 2025
Journal title :
Molecules
eISSN :
1420-3049
Publisher :
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), Switzerland
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