Sugar profiles of Spanish unifloral honeys

The levels of various sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, maltulose, kojibiose, isomaltase, raffinose, erlose and melezitose) as well as the glucose/fructose and glucose/water ratios were determined in different Spanish unifloral honey types (rosemary, orange blossom, lavender, sunflower, eucalyptus, heather, honeydew). Sugars were determined by gas chromatography of the trimethylsilyloxime derivatives. There were significant differences among the honey types in relation to sugar composition. Fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose and the glucose/water ratio were selected by discriminant analysis as the better parameters for the correct classification of the honey samples into their parent types. These sugars appear to be very valuable as characterization parameters for honeydew honey, followed by sunflower, heather and eucalyptus honeys, with 100%, 92.9%, 83.3% and 75.0% correct classifications, respectively. For the remaining honey types the percentages of successful classifications ranged from 53.8% to 69.2%. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.