Development of new methods for the evaluation of honeyquality and authenticity.

The evaluation of honey quality and authenticity is one of the main target in beekeeping research. It involves the evaluation of authenticity in respect of description (botanical and geographical origin) and in respect of production (presence of defects or adulterations).Within the Beeshop research project, three different analytical methods were developed and tested for the determination of honey quality: DRIFTS (Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy), 1D and 2D HR-NMR spectroscopy (High Resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), All the methods were applied to the evaluation of botanical origin of the honey samples collected by Beeshop members, and to the analysis of honey samples artificially adulterated by sugar syrups. The results of DRIFTS and 2D HR-NMR methods, analysed with general discriminant analysis (GDA), show a classification capability for the botanical origin of 92,56% and 97% respectively. The two methods, coupled with appropriate multivariate statistical analysis, seem to be efficient and versatile techniques for the classification of the botanical origin, and are able to detect honey adulteration by sugar syrup.By means of 1D HR-NMR spectroscopy good results were achieved for the adulteration level in honey samples. Also DRIFTS and 2D HR-NMR spectroscopy appears to be suitable for the determination of honey adulteration by sugar syrup, but it will be necessary to greatly increase the number of acquisitions and replicates.