Characterization of honeys by
melissopalynology and statistical analysis
Baudilio Herrero1, Rosa
María Valencia-Barrera2, Roberto San Martín3, and
Valentín Pando3
1Departamento
de Ciencias Agroforestales. Universidad de Valladolid, Avenida Madrid 57, 34004
Palencia, Spain (e-mail: baudilio@agro.uva.es); 2Departamento de Biología Vegetal.
Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain; 3Departamento de
Estadística e Investigación Operativa. Universidad de Valladolid, Avenida
Madrid 57, 34004 Palencia, Spain
Can. J. Plant Sci. 82:
75–82
We analyzed pollen from 89 honey samples, collected in León
and Palencia provinces (NW Spain). According to their pollen spectra, 46 were
considered monofloral. The most abundant monofloral honeys were Erica types followed by Castanea, Centaurea, Reseda and Helianthus. One hundred and forty-two
different pollen types were recorded, belonging to 47 families. Fifty-five of
them reached percentages over 3% in at least one sample, while the other 87
types never exceeded 3% in any of the 89 samples. The families that were
present in the highest number of samples were Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Cistaceae and
Asteraceae. Plant families that had the highest percentages were Fabaceae,
Ericaceae, Asteraceae, and Rosaceae. The pollen types that appeared in most
samples were Rubus ulmifolius (73
samples), Cytisus scoparius (70) and Mentha aquatica (62); the pollen types
that had the highest relative abundance were Erica arborea, Lotus
corniculatus, Cytisus scoparius.
The pollen types of the Ericaceae family, Jasione
montana, and Lavandula latifolia
types could be used as indicators of the origin of honeys among five zones in
the area studied.
The use of cluster and correlation statistical analyses
proved useful in characterizing honey samples from a geographical and botanical
point of view. The honey samples were divided into four classes according to
the data matrix of presence/absence, and into seven classes according to
absolute frequencies of pollen types in the samples.
Key words: Honey,
palynology, melissopalynology, botanical origin, characterization
© 2002 Agricultural Institute of Canada