Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Research International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodres Sensorial and physicochemical analysis of Indian honeys for assessment of quality and floral origins Atul Kumar a, ⁎ , Jatinder Paul Singh Gill a , Jasbir Singh Bedi a , Manmeet Manav b , Mohd. Javed Ansari c , Gurjeet Singh Walia d a School of Public Health and Zoonoses, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab 141004, India b State Agmark Laboratory, Ludhiana, Punjab 141004, India c Department of Botany, Hindu College, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh 244001, India d Department of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab 141004, India ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Raw honey Floral origins Sensory Physicochemical Principal component analysis India ABSTRACT In the present study, sensory and physicochemical properties of raw honey samples originating from different floral sources of India were investigated. Sensory analysis was carried out by quantitative descriptive analysis method. Samples having higher scores for flowery aroma, amber colour together with less crystallization were perceived to be more desirable with greater acceptability. The values obtained for electrical conductivity (0.28–1.0 mS/cm), moisture content (18.37–22%), HMF content (3.65–23.16 mg/kg), free acidity (14.83–40.17 meq/kg), pH (3.81–4.85), ash (0.08–0.49%), specific gravity (1.39–1.42 g/cm 2 ), total reducing sugars (64.91–71.39%) and protein content (0.16–0.70%) were within the criteria set by International regula- tions of quality. To classify and differentiate unifloral honeys originating from nine botanical origins, the data matrix was also subjected to principal component analysis. The overall results revealed that both the sensory and physicochemical properties of honey can be used as indicators not only of quality but also of origin. 1. Introduction Honey, a complex biological commodity produced by the bees, is a nutritious food of economic importance worldwide. This commodity may be liquid, thick or crystallized but its properties rely primarily on climatic and edaphic conditions, agricultural patterns, type of flower that supplies the nectar to expeditious honey bees and postharvest honey handling practices (Belay, Solomon, Bultossa, Adgaba, & Melaku, 2013; Buba, Gidado, & Shugaba, 2013; Cimpoiu, Hosu, Miclaus, & Puscas, 2013; Habib, Al Meqbali, Kamal, Souka, & Ibrahim, 2014). Honey from particular floral source has specific sensorial char- acteristics, in terms of colour, texture, aroma and flavour with unique physicochemical properties (pH, electrical conductivity, ash, acidity, moisture, reducing sugars and protein content etc.) but there are ob- servational studies indicating that honey produced from nectar of some plants may be toxic to consume (Daugherty, 2005; Koca & Koca, 2007). Therefore, sensorial and physicochemical characterization of honey based on floral origin becomes imperative to determine its quality. Since, honey is used in an ever-increasing array of food products; its characterization and quality evaluation through sensory and physico- chemical analysis not only influences the consumers' preferences but is also important in the international trade (Belay et al., 2013). To maintain purity and quality of honey in order to safeguard the con- sumer health, various national and international regulations have been formulated on the basis of physicochemical properties of honey (CAC, 2001; EC, 2001; FSSAI, 2011). India, owing to its rich biodiversity, has a long history of apicultural practices. With > 2,50,000 beekeepers' and an annual production of 94,500 metric tonnes; India is now emerging as a major producer and exporter of honey to various countries (NBB, 2017). Although honey due to its multi-faceted beneficial properties and myriad uses is being consumed by millions of people in India, but comprehensive informa- tion regarding sensory and physicochemical properties of raw honey originating from different floral sources is meagre. Despite the long tradition of Indian honey production, the issues of evaluating sensory and physicochemical properties of various Indian unifloral and multifloral honeys have so far been covered by only a few scientific studies (Ahmed, Prabhu, Raghavan, & Ngadi, 2007; Kaur, Mishra, & Lal, 2016; Nanda, Sarkar, Sharma, & Bawa, 2003; Saxena, Gautam, & Sharma, 2010; Shobham, Chitluri, & Nayar, 2017). How- ever, characterization and quality assessment of honeys by means of sensory and physicochemical analysis has received several international https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.04.005 Received 11 December 2017; Received in revised form 26 March 2018; Accepted 2 April 2018 ⁎ Corresponding author at: DGCN COVAS, CSK HP Agricultural University, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176062, India. E-mail address: dratul9@gmail.com (A. Kumar). Food Research International 108 (2018) 571–583 Available online 05 April 2018 0963-9969/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T