Comparative Study of Bulgarian Linden Honey (<i>Tilia</i> sp.)
The present study aims to evaluate and compare some of the main indicators characterizing Bulgarian linden honey depending on the geographical origin. A total of 18 samples were collected from the six regions of Bulgaria, with 3 samples from each region taken from different producers during the 2023...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Anastasiya Yankova-Nikolova Desislava Vlahova-Vangelova Desislav Balev Nikolay Kolev Stefan Dragoev Biljana Lowndes-Nikolova |
| author_facet | Anastasiya Yankova-Nikolova Desislava Vlahova-Vangelova Desislav Balev Nikolay Kolev Stefan Dragoev Biljana Lowndes-Nikolova |
| author_sort | Anastasiya Yankova-Nikolova |
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| description | The present study aims to evaluate and compare some of the main indicators characterizing Bulgarian linden honey depending on the geographical origin. A total of 18 samples were collected from the six regions of Bulgaria, with 3 samples from each region taken from different producers during the 2023 harvest. The physicochemical indicators: hydroxymethylfurfural content, diastase activity, pH, color, water content and electrical conductivity, as well as organoleptic and pollen characteristics, were analyzed. Antioxidant activity was also investigated by several methods: total phenolic content (TPC), phenolic compounds by the Glories method, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical activity, CUPRAC (Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity), iron-reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP) assay, and radical scavenging capacity in terms of ABTS•+, ORAC (oxygen radical antioxidant capacity). Differences were found depending on the region. All the studied honeys from the Northern Central Region contained higher <i>Tilia</i> sp. pollen. In the Southwestern Region, <i>Tilia</i> sp. pollen was not detected in any of the honey samples. The highest sensory score was awarded to linden honey from the Northern Central Region. An overall assessment ranks linden honey from the Northern Central region, the richest in linden forests, as the highest quality among the six studied regions. Another key finding was that 39% of linden honey labeled or declared as monofloral linden honey on the Bulgarian market does not meet the established criteria for monofloral honey. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-531dce4193f54364becdaf8fea9c40582025-01-24T13:32:45ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-01-0114217510.3390/foods14020175Comparative Study of Bulgarian Linden Honey (<i>Tilia</i> sp.)Anastasiya Yankova-Nikolova0Desislava Vlahova-Vangelova1Desislav Balev2Nikolay Kolev3Stefan Dragoev4Biljana Lowndes-Nikolova5Department of Meat and Fish Technology, Technological Faculty, University of Food Technologies, 26 Maritza Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Meat and Fish Technology, Technological Faculty, University of Food Technologies, 26 Maritza Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Meat and Fish Technology, Technological Faculty, University of Food Technologies, 26 Maritza Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Meat and Fish Technology, Technological Faculty, University of Food Technologies, 26 Maritza Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Meat and Fish Technology, Technological Faculty, University of Food Technologies, 26 Maritza Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Management, Faculty of Economics, University of Food Technologies, 26 Maritza Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaThe present study aims to evaluate and compare some of the main indicators characterizing Bulgarian linden honey depending on the geographical origin. A total of 18 samples were collected from the six regions of Bulgaria, with 3 samples from each region taken from different producers during the 2023 harvest. The physicochemical indicators: hydroxymethylfurfural content, diastase activity, pH, color, water content and electrical conductivity, as well as organoleptic and pollen characteristics, were analyzed. Antioxidant activity was also investigated by several methods: total phenolic content (TPC), phenolic compounds by the Glories method, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical activity, CUPRAC (Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity), iron-reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP) assay, and radical scavenging capacity in terms of ABTS•+, ORAC (oxygen radical antioxidant capacity). Differences were found depending on the region. All the studied honeys from the Northern Central Region contained higher <i>Tilia</i> sp. pollen. In the Southwestern Region, <i>Tilia</i> sp. pollen was not detected in any of the honey samples. The highest sensory score was awarded to linden honey from the Northern Central Region. An overall assessment ranks linden honey from the Northern Central region, the richest in linden forests, as the highest quality among the six studied regions. Another key finding was that 39% of linden honey labeled or declared as monofloral linden honey on the Bulgarian market does not meet the established criteria for monofloral honey.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/175lime honeyHMFdiastasesensorymelisopalynological analysisantioxidant activity |
| spellingShingle | Anastasiya Yankova-Nikolova Desislava Vlahova-Vangelova Desislav Balev Nikolay Kolev Stefan Dragoev Biljana Lowndes-Nikolova Comparative Study of Bulgarian Linden Honey (<i>Tilia</i> sp.) Foods lime honey HMF diastase sensory melisopalynological analysis antioxidant activity |
| title | Comparative Study of Bulgarian Linden Honey (<i>Tilia</i> sp.) |
| title_full | Comparative Study of Bulgarian Linden Honey (<i>Tilia</i> sp.) |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Study of Bulgarian Linden Honey (<i>Tilia</i> sp.) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Study of Bulgarian Linden Honey (<i>Tilia</i> sp.) |
| title_short | Comparative Study of Bulgarian Linden Honey (<i>Tilia</i> sp.) |
| title_sort | comparative study of bulgarian linden honey i tilia i sp |
| topic | lime honey HMF diastase sensory melisopalynological analysis antioxidant activity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/175 |
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