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Physicochemical Properties of Honeys Produced in North-West of Algeria
Authors: Samira Nair, Nebia Bouzidi Maghraoui
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Honey is a nutritious product that is produced by honey bees. Its composition depends highly on the type of flowers utilised by the bee as well as the climatic conditions. This study was intended to evaluate the quality parameters of ten honey samples, from various regions in NorthWest of Algeria. The physicochemical property of the honeys [moisture, electrical conductivity, hydroxymethylfurfural, pH, acidity (free, total and lactone), reducing sugars, apparent sucrose, insoluble material, ash, and diastase activity] was determined. The moisture shows values of 14.21±0.18 % and 16.59±0.12%. The water insoluble material content ranged between 0.01 ± 0.03 to 0.67 ± 0.07%. The reducing sugars were between 66.3 ± 0.37 and 88 ± 0.23 %, mean percentages of apparent sucrose were 6.54 ± 0.23%. Honey samples showed an appropriate diastase number with an average of 12.35 ± 0.24, and their HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural) content ranging from 5.65 ±0.37 to 37.42 ± 0.55 mg/kg, Conductivity values ranged from 10 ± 0.54 to 606 ± 2.45 µS/cm. The ash content ranged from 0.019 ± 0.01% to 0.37 ± 0.05%. All honeys were acidic, having a pH in the range 3.7 ± 0.03– 4.78 ± 0.05. The average values for free acidity in samples were between 10 ± 0.22 and 25 ± 0.5 meq/kg. Lactonic acidity ranges were from 2 ± 0.15 to 5 ± 0.15 meq/kg. Total acidity ranged from 12 ± 0.37 to 30 ± 0.65 meq/kg. All the samples were found to meet all major national and international honey specifications.