Chromatographic fingerprint of the volatile fraction of rare Hedera helix honey and biomarkers identification

Hedera helix (Irish ivy) honey is a very rare food product used in Ireland. The composition of the volatile fraction of this unique honey was studied for the first time using three different extraction procedures (SPE, USE and HS-SPME) and analyzed with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. As expected, the use of combined techniques resulted in the identification of the detailed composition of honey volatiles. Identified constitutes belongs to the different chemical classes. The presence of 4(1H)-quinolinone, myrtenal and phenylacetonitrile was proposed as biomarkers of the botanical origin of ivy honey. Moreover, they are not widely widespread among honeys of different botanical origins. Additional usefulness of the HPTLC studies was documented by showing that this method allows obtaining characteristic patterns of honey fractions enabling a simple visual determination of honey authenticity.