CLASSIFICATION OF HONEYS BY PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS ON THE BASIS OF CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

Eighteen chemical and physical parameters of nectar and honeydew honeys were determined and the results were analysed statistically by the method of principal component analysis. On the plots of principal component loadings, the honeys were divided into the following groups: (1) acacia honey; (2) rape honey; (3) linden, floral (nectar coming from various plants) and heather honeys; (4) honeydew honey. The samples which were a blend of nectar and honeydew honeys may be considered as a separate group between 3 and 4. The most important first principal component was strongly associated with the value of electrical conductivity, the contents of ash, free acids and proline, as well as with the pH and the diastase number. The principal component loadings and linear correlation suggested that these parameters contributed much more to the classification of honeys than apparent reducing sugars, apparent sucrose, mono-, di-, and trisaccharides, glucose and fructose. The classification of honeys by the method of principal component analysis may serve as an additional tool in specifying samples on the basis of their chemical composition. © 1991 Springer-Verlag.