Characterisation of Moroccan Spurge (Euphorbia) honeys by their physicochemical characteristics, mineral contents and colour

Abstract

The quality of 27 Moroccan Spurge (Euphorbia) honey samples was assessed. Eight physicochemical parameters and mineral composition were analysed and the CIELAB colour parameters (L∗, a∗, b∗, Cab∗ and hab) were determined. Results show no significant differences between the two Euphorbia honey types (Euphorbia officinarum subsp. echinus and Euphorbia regis-jubae honeys) regarding the physicochemical parameters. Sodium and magnesium show average values that can help to differentiate between E. officinarum subsp. echinus and E. regis-jubae honeys. Potassium was quantitatively the most important mineral (66% of the total minerals quantified), while sodium and calcium were present in moderate amounts (20% and 11% of the minerals, respectively). The colour parameters also have shown significant differences between E. officinarum subsp. echinus and E. regis-jubae honeys.Considering the total information from physicochemical, mineral and colour data, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Stepwise Discriminant Analysis (SDA) were carried out to distinguish between the two Euphorbia honey types. PCA showed that the cumulative variance was approximately 56%. The results of SDA showed that parameters with a higher discriminant power were Na, Mg, L∗, Cab∗ and hab, and almost 100% of the samples were properly classified in their corresponding group, except for one sample. Keywords: Unifloral honey, Euphorbia officinarum subsp. echinus, Euphorbia regis-jubae, PCA, SDA