Unveiling the Mineral and Sugar Richness of Moroccan Honeys: A Study of Botanical Origins and Quality Indicators
This study comprehensively analyzes the mineral and heavy metal profiles of seven honey types, focusing on the contents of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb), with particular emphasis on honey produced in easter...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/1/150 |
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| author | Azzedine Abeslami Hammadi El Farissi Francesco Cacciola Ali El Bachiri Mariane Sindic Marie-Laure Fauconnier Etienne Bruneau Abdelmonaem Talhaoui |
| author_facet | Azzedine Abeslami Hammadi El Farissi Francesco Cacciola Ali El Bachiri Mariane Sindic Marie-Laure Fauconnier Etienne Bruneau Abdelmonaem Talhaoui |
| author_sort | Azzedine Abeslami |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study comprehensively analyzes the mineral and heavy metal profiles of seven honey types, focusing on the contents of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb), with particular emphasis on honey produced in eastern Morocco. Multifloral honey was found to have the highest total mineral content (661 mg/kg), while rosemary honey had the lowest (201.31 mg/kg), revealing the strong influence of floral and botanical origin. Darker honey, such as multifloral and jujube, were richer in minerals, with potassium consistently being the most abundant, followed by calcium, magnesium, and iron, while cadmium and lead remained within safe, trace-level concentrations. Additionally, sugar profiling showed that all samples contained fructose, glucose, maltose, turanose, erlose, sucrose, and palatinose, with particularly high fructose and glucose contents in multifloral honey. Principal component analysis (PCA) accounted for 75% of the variation and identified three distinct groups of honey based on mineral content multifloral, eucalyptus, and rosemary. Multifloral and eucalyptus honey had higher concentrations of iron, magnesium, and calcium, whereas rosemary honey was richer in zinc and copper. The findings underscore the potential of honey as a marker of environmental quality and suggest that eastern Morocco honey possesses favorable characteristics for national and international commercialization. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d7c5bb05503e4d8e80a18ab1f6493f52 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-d7c5bb05503e4d8e80a18ab1f6493f522025-01-10T13:19:02ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-01-0130115010.3390/molecules30010150Unveiling the Mineral and Sugar Richness of Moroccan Honeys: A Study of Botanical Origins and Quality IndicatorsAzzedine Abeslami0Hammadi El Farissi1Francesco Cacciola2Ali El Bachiri3Mariane Sindic4Marie-Laure Fauconnier5Etienne Bruneau6Abdelmonaem Talhaoui7Laboratory of Environment and Applied Chemistry (LCAE), Team: Physical Chemistry of the Natural Resources and Processes, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda 60000, MoroccoLaboratory of Environment and Applied Chemistry (LCAE), Team: Physical Chemistry of the Natural Resources and Processes, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda 60000, MoroccoMessina Institute of Technology c/o, Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, Former Veterinary School, University of Messina, Viale G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, ItalyLaboratory of Environment and Applied Chemistry (LCAE), Team: Physical Chemistry of the Natural Resources and Processes, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda 60000, MoroccoLaboratory of Agro-Food Quality and Safety, Faculty of the Agronomic Sciences, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Beekeeping Research and Information Centre (CARI), 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumLaboratory of Chemistry of Natural Molecules, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Liege University, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, BelgiumBeekeeping Research and Information Centre (CARI), 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumLaboratory of Environment and Applied Chemistry (LCAE), Team: Physical Chemistry of the Natural Resources and Processes, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda 60000, MoroccoThis study comprehensively analyzes the mineral and heavy metal profiles of seven honey types, focusing on the contents of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb), with particular emphasis on honey produced in eastern Morocco. Multifloral honey was found to have the highest total mineral content (661 mg/kg), while rosemary honey had the lowest (201.31 mg/kg), revealing the strong influence of floral and botanical origin. Darker honey, such as multifloral and jujube, were richer in minerals, with potassium consistently being the most abundant, followed by calcium, magnesium, and iron, while cadmium and lead remained within safe, trace-level concentrations. Additionally, sugar profiling showed that all samples contained fructose, glucose, maltose, turanose, erlose, sucrose, and palatinose, with particularly high fructose and glucose contents in multifloral honey. Principal component analysis (PCA) accounted for 75% of the variation and identified three distinct groups of honey based on mineral content multifloral, eucalyptus, and rosemary. Multifloral and eucalyptus honey had higher concentrations of iron, magnesium, and calcium, whereas rosemary honey was richer in zinc and copper. The findings underscore the potential of honey as a marker of environmental quality and suggest that eastern Morocco honey possesses favorable characteristics for national and international commercialization.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/1/150honeymineral contentheavy metalsbotanical originprincipal component analysissugar profile |
| spellingShingle | Azzedine Abeslami Hammadi El Farissi Francesco Cacciola Ali El Bachiri Mariane Sindic Marie-Laure Fauconnier Etienne Bruneau Abdelmonaem Talhaoui Unveiling the Mineral and Sugar Richness of Moroccan Honeys: A Study of Botanical Origins and Quality Indicators Molecules honey mineral content heavy metals botanical origin principal component analysis sugar profile |
| title | Unveiling the Mineral and Sugar Richness of Moroccan Honeys: A Study of Botanical Origins and Quality Indicators |
| title_full | Unveiling the Mineral and Sugar Richness of Moroccan Honeys: A Study of Botanical Origins and Quality Indicators |
| title_fullStr | Unveiling the Mineral and Sugar Richness of Moroccan Honeys: A Study of Botanical Origins and Quality Indicators |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unveiling the Mineral and Sugar Richness of Moroccan Honeys: A Study of Botanical Origins and Quality Indicators |
| title_short | Unveiling the Mineral and Sugar Richness of Moroccan Honeys: A Study of Botanical Origins and Quality Indicators |
| title_sort | unveiling the mineral and sugar richness of moroccan honeys a study of botanical origins and quality indicators |
| topic | honey mineral content heavy metals botanical origin principal component analysis sugar profile |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/1/150 |
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