Identification of botanical biomarkers found in Corsican honey

Honeys from specified botanical sources often command a premium price due to their organoleptic or pharmacoactive properties. To prevent the fraudulent marketing of honey, analytical techniques are required to confirm its origin. NMR spectroscopy has been used to identify biomarkers of botanical and geographical origin for European honey. One-dimensional H-1 NMR spectra were acquired from 374 authentic European honeys collected during 2 years, with the majority of these (220) taken from the island of Corsica. Biomarkers of sweet chestnut, Corsican spring Maquis and Arbousier (strawberry-tree) honeys were identified. Kynurenic acid was found to be a biomarker of sweet chestnut honey. alpha-Isophorone and 2,5-dihydroxyphenyl-acetic acid were confirmed as markers of strawberry-tree honey. Additional compounds specific to strawberry-tree and Corsican spring Maquis honey were partially characterised. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.