FLAVONOIDS IN HONEY OF DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL ORIGIN

The flavonoids present in honey samples from different geographical areas (Europe, North America, Equatorial regions, South America, China and Australia) have been analysed by HPLC. These flavonoids are incorporated into honey from propolis, nectar or pollen. As a general rule, honey samples from the Northern Hemisphere (where poplars, the source of propolis, are native) show flavonoid profiles characterized by the presence of propolis flavonoids. In contrast, honey samples from most Equatorial regions and Australia are generally devoid of propolis-derived flavonoids, showing only flavonoids from other plant sources. However. several honey samples from Central and South America and from New Zealand do contain the flavonoids characteristic of propolis. This means that imported Apis mellifera colonies may locate poplar trees, occasionally finding an imported specimen in gardens or agro-industrial exploitations, and incorporate propolis flavonoids into honey. These preliminary results show that flavonoid analysis could be used as an adjunct to geographical origin studies of honey.