Recent trends in the analysis of honey constituents

The main goal of this article is to present an overview of the analytical methodologies employed in recent years (2015-2021) to determine several honey constituents, and, specifically, those with health-promoting effects and nutritional value, like phenolic compounds, sugars, amino acids and proteins, vitamins, lipids, minerals, and organic acids. The review is structured according to the different families of compounds, and they will be discussed along with the main extraction and analytical techniques used for their determination. Phenolic compounds, sugars and amino acids have been the main compounds determined in honey. The analytical methods (sample treatment and determination techniques) are strongly dependent on the compound. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that high-performance liquid chromatography was predominantly selected for determining honey constituents; while, in relation to the sample treatment, the preferred option was a dilution of the honey with water or a buffer.

Automated summary

This article provides an overview of the analytical methodologies used in recent years (2015-2021) to determine various constituents in honey, especially those with health-promoting effects and nutritional value. The main compounds analyzed in honey include phenolic compounds, sugars, and amino acids. The preferred analytical technique for determining honey constituents is high-performance liquid chromatography, while dilution with water or a buffer is the preferred option for sample treatment.