Electrochemical Profiles and Water Content in Different Honey Varieties from Western Balkan Countries
Keywords:
Electrochemical conductivity, honey, pH, waterAbstract
Honey as a sweet and nutritionally rich substance occupies a special place in agricultural production. From a chemical point of view, it contains over 200 important compounds for the normal functioning of metabolic processes, which together make up the dry matter of honey (e.g. minerals, organic acids, phenolic compounds, vitamins etc.) In addition to dry matter, honey also contains a certain percentage of water and due to its composition of water and various substances, it is essential to give special attention to its safety and quality parameters. Electrical conductivity represents the content of mineral substances and indirectly indicates the botanical and geographical origin of honey, as well as its clarity. This parameter is one of the standard ones that is determined in honey quality control, owing to the fact that honey beside the amount of different compounds, contains minerals that can dissociate into ions in aqueous solution and thus conduct electrical energy. The pH value was also determined, which is correlated with the organic acids in honey. The water content is also one of the major parameters that indicates its microbiological stability and affects its viscosity. Its value is not constant but varies depending on the storage conditions (air humidity).
References
Ogwu, M. C., Izah, S. C., Honey as a Natural Antimicrobial, Antibiotics, 2025, 14(3), 255
Tasic, A., Pezo, L., Loncar, B., Pešić, M. B., Tesic, Z., Kalaba, M., Assessing the Impact of Botanical Origins, Harvest Years, and Geographical Variability on the Physicochemical Quality of Serbian Honey, Foods, 2024, 13, 1530
Zivkov Balos, M., Popov, N., Vidakovic, S., Ljubojevic Pelic, D., Pelic, M., Mihaljev, Z., Jaksic, S., Electrical conductivity and acidity of honey, Archives of Veterinary Medicine, 2018, 11(1), 91-101
Chiachung, C., Relationship between Water Activity and Moisture Content in Floral Honey, Foods 2019, 8, 30
Loncar, V., Determination of antioxidant activity of different types of honey, Master’s thesis, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Agriculture, 2017
Ana – Marija C., Antioxidant capacity and physico – chemical parameters of rapeseed honey (Brassica sp.), Undergraduate thesis, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Food Technology, 2015
Gita Maulidyah Indraswari Suhri A., Bahar, I., Water Content of Stingless Bee Honey Varies by Season, Jurnal Biologi Tropis, 2023, 23(2), 16-22
Gleiter, R. A., Horn, H., Isengard, H.-D., Influence of type and state of crystallisation on the water activity of honey, Food Chemistry, 2006, 96(3), 441445
Rulebook on Quality of Honey and Other Bee Products: Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia: Belgrade, Serbia 2015, 101/15
Maric, A.; Assessment of honey quality and extraction of hydroxymethylfurfural from honey using ionic liquids, Doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, 2023
Alves, A., Ramos, A., Goncalves, M. M., Bernardo M., Mendes, B., Antioxidant activity, quality parameters and mineral content of Portuguese monofloral honeys, Journal of Food Composition and Analyis, 2013, 30(2), 130-138
Gomes, S., Dias, L. G., Moreira, L. L., Rodrigues P., Estenviho, L., Physicochemical, microbiological and antimicrobial properties of commercial honeys from Portugal, Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2009, 48(2), 544-548
