Investigation of Some Quality Criteria in Chestnut Honey of Düzce Province
Abstract
Honey is a natural food source that has been consumed by humans for thousands of years and has an important place in various cultures. Chestnut honey is an important type of honey produced in Düzce province. Determining the quality and purity of honey ensures that consumers have access to safe, high-quality honey. The control criteria for the suitability of honey for human health consumption are defined in the Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on Honey (2020/7). Düzce University Scientific and Technological Research Application and Research Center (DÜBİT) responds to requests for honey analysis for non-commercial, internal quality control purposes. In this study, the results of honey samples produced in the province of Düzce and analyzed in the laboratories of DÜBİT were examined according to the criteria of the Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on Honey and an evaluation of the results was carried out. According to the test results, 38%, 20% and 16% of the samples were found to be unsuitable for the quality criteria, especially for the sugar profile, conductivity and proline parameters, respectively. Additionally, pollen analysis of 13% of the honey samples revealed pollen densities that did not match the declared plant family. From a public health point of view, it is important to consume high-quality, reliable and natural honey products. Therefore, quality control of bee products should be carried out from the producer to the consumer.
Keywords
chestnut honey, natural product, honey analyses, bee product, quality criteria
References
- [1] A. Coşkun, “Türkiye’de bal sektörünün mevcut durum değerlendirilmesi ve tüketici eğilimleri,” Yüksek lisans, Tarım Ekonomisi, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal Uni., Tekirdag, Türkiye, 2019.
- [2] A. N. Morkoç, “Eski Ön Asya Tıbbında Bal,” Mersin Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Lokman Hekim Tıp Tarihi ve Folklorik Tıp Dergisi, c. 12, s. 3, ss. 450–455, 2022.
- [3] E. Terzi, “Bilecik ve çevresinde üretilen ballarda bulunan polenlerin araştırılması,” Yüksek Lisans, Biyoloji, Anadolu Uni., Eskisehir, 2009.
- [4] M. Kekeçoğlu, S. Bir, and M. K. Acar, “Determination of anatolian honeybee biodiversity by wing characters,” Sociobiology, vol. 70, no. 3, pp. 8333, 2023.
- [5] S. A. El Sohaimy, S. H. D. Masry, and M. G. Shehata, “Physicochemical characteristics of honey from different origins,” Ann. Agric. Sci., vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 279–287, 2015.
- [6] A. Özkök and N. Ecem Bayram, “Kestane (Castanea sativa) balı örneklerinin botanik orjinlerinin doğrulanması ve toplam polen sayıları,” U. Bee J., c. 21, s. 1, ss. 54–65, 2021. [7] F. Villani, M. Pigliucci, and M. Cherubini, “Evolution of Castanea sativa mill, in Turkey and Europe,” Genet Res, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 109–116, 1994.
- [8] M. Conedera, W. Tinner, P. Krebs, D. De Rigo, and G. Caudullo, “Castanea sativa in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats” in European Atlas of Forest Tree Species, 1st ed., Luxembourg, EU: Publication Office of the European Union, 2016, pp-78-79
- [9] K. Yılmaz, E. Ceylan, and G. Derelioğlu, “Determination of chestnut honey consumption characteristics as a traditional treatment method and its effect on protection from covid-19,” Complement Med Res, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 205–212, 2022.
- [10] S. Bogdanov. (2009, September 21). Harmonised Methods of The International Honey Commission [Online]. Available: https://www.ihc-platform.net/ihcmethods2009.pdf.
- [11] Türk Gıda Kodeksi Bal Tebliği. T.C. Resmi Gazete, Sayı: 31107, 22 Nisan 2020.