Using Multi Criteria Decision Making Techniques for Honey Quality Evaluation

Abstract

Honey is a natural product that plays a significant role in human health and nutrition. However, in recent years, increasing adulteration practices and quality issues have undermined consumer confidence. This study investigates the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques as an alternative to traditional methods for evaluating honey quality. The data used in this study were obtained from the research conducted by Güzel and Bahçeci (2020). The honey samples were analyzed using eight key quality parameters, including moisture content, HMF, diastase number, and electrical conductivity, and were evaluated using CODAS-Sort, MEREC weighting, and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) methods. The results indicate that diastase number, HMF, and ash content are the most critical parameters in determining honey quality. According to the weights calculated by the MEREC method, diastase number (43.29%), HMF (23.97%), and ash content (20.48%) emerged as the most significant factors. The integration of CODAS-Sort and GRA-MEREC showed high consistency in classifying honey samples, particularly identifying those with high HMF levels, low diastase activity, and inappropriate free acidity values as potentially adulterated. This study demonstrates that MCDM methods can serve as a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable quality control mechanism in the honey industry. The findings provide practical guidance for beekeeping cooperatives, food regulatory agencies, and quality control laboratories.

Keywords

• Honey quality
• adulteration detection
• MCDM
• CODAS-Sort
• MEREC
• GRA

Ethical Statement

It is declared that scientific and ethical principles have been followed while carrying out and writing this study and that all the sources used have been properly cited (Erhan ORAKÇI)

Bal Kalitesinin Değerlendirilmesinde Çok Kriterli Karar Verme Tekniklerinin Uygulanması

Abstract

Bal, insan sağlığı ve beslenmesinde önemli rol oynayan doğal bir ürün olmasına rağmen, son yıllarda artan tağşiş uygulamaları ve kalite sorunları nedeniyle tüketici güvenini zedelemektedir. Bu çalışma, bal kalitesinin değerlendirilmesinde geleneksel yöntemlere alternatif olarak Çok Kriterli Karar Verme (ÇKKV) tekniklerinin kullanımını araştırmaktadır. Çalışmada kullanılan veriler, Güzel ve Bahçeci (2020) tarafından yapılan araştırmadan alınmış olup, nem, HMF, diastaz sayısı, elektriksel iletkenlik gibi 8 temel kalite parametresi kullanılarak analiz edilmiş ve CODAS-Sort, MEREC ağırlıklandırma ile Gri İlişkisel Analiz (GİA) teknikleriyle değerlendirilmiştir. Sonuçlar, diastaz sayısı, HMF ve kül içeriğinin bal kalitesinin belirlenmesinde en kritik parametreler olduğunu göstermiştir. MEREC tekniğiyle hesaplanan ağırlıklandırmalara göre diastaz sayısı %43.29, HMF %23.97 ve kül içeriği %20.48 ağırlık değerleriyle öne çıkmıştır. CODAS-Sort ve GİA-MEREC entegrasyonu, balların sınıflandırılmasında yüksek tutarlılık göstermiş ve özellikle yüksek HMF, düşük diastaz aktivitesi ve uygunsuz serbest asitlik değerlerine sahip örneklerin tağşiş şüphesi taşıdığı belirlenmiştir. Bu çalışma, ÇKKV tekniklerinin bal sektöründe hızlı, ekonomik ve güvenilir bir kalite kontrol mekanizması olarak kullanılabileceğini ortaya koymaktadır. Özellikle arıcılık kooperatifleri, gıda denetim kurumları ve kalite kontrol laboratuvarları için pratik bir rehber niteliğindedir.

Keywords

• Bal kalitesi
• tağşiş tespiti
• ÇKKV
• CODAS-Sort
• MEREC
• GİA

Supporting Institution

yok

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışmanın hazırlanma sürecinde bilimsel ve etik ilkelere uyulduğu ve yararlanılan tüm çalışmaların kaynakçada belirtildiği beyan olunur (Erhan ORAKÇI).

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