New Insights on Quality, Safety, Nutritional, and Nutraceutical Properties of Honeydew Honeys from Italy
Honeydew honey is less studied than nectar honey, although it is characterized by peculiar nutritional properties. This is mainly due to its challenging production, which leads to easy counterfeiting and difficult valorization. This contribution aims to provide a comprehensive characterization of th...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Andrea Mara Federica Mainente Vasiliki Soursou Yolanda Picó Iratxe Perales Asma Ghorab Gavino Sanna Isabel Borrás-Linares Gianni Zoccatelli Marco Ciulu |
| author_facet | Andrea Mara Federica Mainente Vasiliki Soursou Yolanda Picó Iratxe Perales Asma Ghorab Gavino Sanna Isabel Borrás-Linares Gianni Zoccatelli Marco Ciulu |
| author_sort | Andrea Mara |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Honeydew honey is less studied than nectar honey, although it is characterized by peculiar nutritional properties. This is mainly due to its challenging production, which leads to easy counterfeiting and difficult valorization. This contribution aims to provide a comprehensive characterization of the physico-chemical, palynological, functional, and food safety properties of a large sampling of honeydew honeys collected throughout Italy. The honeydew elements, conductivity, color, antioxidant properties, total polyphenol content, hydroxymethylfurfural, major and trace elements, toxic and rare earth elements, and pesticide residues were measured in 59 samples of honeydew honey from forest, eucalyptus, fir, oak, and citrus sources. Physico-chemical and antioxidant properties were unable to differentiate the botanical origin of Italian honeydew honeys. Similarly, the mineral composition did not vary significantly, whereas rare earth elements appeared to be promising markers for classifying their origin. Multivariate analysis allowed discriminating fir honeydews from the other varieties. Concerning safety aspects, pesticide residues were detected in 90% of the samples, with fir honeydews exhibiting the lowest contamination levels, probably due to its production in less industrialized areas. Acetamiprid and imidacloprid were the most prevalent pesticide residues, but their concentrations were below the limit indicated by the EFSA. These findings suggest the need for a continuous monitoring program for contaminants to ensure safety and to assess risk. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-46ae74b31ea24c5ea945090797eb535b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-46ae74b31ea24c5ea945090797eb535b2025-01-24T13:43:56ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-01-0130241010.3390/molecules30020410New Insights on Quality, Safety, Nutritional, and Nutraceutical Properties of Honeydew Honeys from ItalyAndrea Mara0Federica Mainente1Vasiliki Soursou2Yolanda Picó3Iratxe Perales4Asma Ghorab5Gavino Sanna6Isabel Borrás-Linares7Gianni Zoccatelli8Marco Ciulu9Department of Chemical, Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, ItalyDepartment of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, ItalyEnvironmental & Food Safety Research Group of the University of Valencia (SAMA-UV), Desertification Research Centre CIDE (CSIC-UV-GV), Road CV-315 Km 10.7, 46113 Moncada, SpainEnvironmental & Food Safety Research Group of the University of Valencia (SAMA-UV), Desertification Research Centre CIDE (CSIC-UV-GV), Road CV-315 Km 10.7, 46113 Moncada, SpainMicrofy Systems SL, Avda. Carrilet 243, 1-2, 08907 Barcelona, SpainMicrofy Systems SL, Avda. Carrilet 243, 1-2, 08907 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Chemical, Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, ItalyDepartment of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Avda Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, SpainDepartment of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, ItalyDepartment of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, ItalyHoneydew honey is less studied than nectar honey, although it is characterized by peculiar nutritional properties. This is mainly due to its challenging production, which leads to easy counterfeiting and difficult valorization. This contribution aims to provide a comprehensive characterization of the physico-chemical, palynological, functional, and food safety properties of a large sampling of honeydew honeys collected throughout Italy. The honeydew elements, conductivity, color, antioxidant properties, total polyphenol content, hydroxymethylfurfural, major and trace elements, toxic and rare earth elements, and pesticide residues were measured in 59 samples of honeydew honey from forest, eucalyptus, fir, oak, and citrus sources. Physico-chemical and antioxidant properties were unable to differentiate the botanical origin of Italian honeydew honeys. Similarly, the mineral composition did not vary significantly, whereas rare earth elements appeared to be promising markers for classifying their origin. Multivariate analysis allowed discriminating fir honeydews from the other varieties. Concerning safety aspects, pesticide residues were detected in 90% of the samples, with fir honeydews exhibiting the lowest contamination levels, probably due to its production in less industrialized areas. Acetamiprid and imidacloprid were the most prevalent pesticide residues, but their concentrations were below the limit indicated by the EFSA. These findings suggest the need for a continuous monitoring program for contaminants to ensure safety and to assess risk.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/2/410honeydew honeymineralsphenolicspesticide residuesantioxidant capacityHMF |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Mara Federica Mainente Vasiliki Soursou Yolanda Picó Iratxe Perales Asma Ghorab Gavino Sanna Isabel Borrás-Linares Gianni Zoccatelli Marco Ciulu New Insights on Quality, Safety, Nutritional, and Nutraceutical Properties of Honeydew Honeys from Italy Molecules honeydew honey minerals phenolics pesticide residues antioxidant capacity HMF |
| title | New Insights on Quality, Safety, Nutritional, and Nutraceutical Properties of Honeydew Honeys from Italy |
| title_full | New Insights on Quality, Safety, Nutritional, and Nutraceutical Properties of Honeydew Honeys from Italy |
| title_fullStr | New Insights on Quality, Safety, Nutritional, and Nutraceutical Properties of Honeydew Honeys from Italy |
| title_full_unstemmed | New Insights on Quality, Safety, Nutritional, and Nutraceutical Properties of Honeydew Honeys from Italy |
| title_short | New Insights on Quality, Safety, Nutritional, and Nutraceutical Properties of Honeydew Honeys from Italy |
| title_sort | new insights on quality safety nutritional and nutraceutical properties of honeydew honeys from italy |
| topic | honeydew honey minerals phenolics pesticide residues antioxidant capacity HMF |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/2/410 |
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