Tracking Honey’s Seasonal Chemical Fingerprints

Chemical differences between spring and summer honeys from the same apiaries could help inform future authenticity testing

1

Untargeted ion mobility liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry distinguished seasonal chemical profiles in 39 Scottish and commercial honey samples.
2

Paired spring and summer samples from approximately nine Aberdeenshire apiaries enabled a more direct assessment of seasonal variation.
3

Spring and summer markers included galangin, quercetin, sebacic acid, tricoumaroyl spermidine, suberic acid, and luteolin-7-glucuronide.
4

Heather honey markers included 3-phenyllactic acid, abscisic acid, 4-hydroxycinnamaldehyde, and kaempferol-related compounds.
5

The exploratory models were intended for marker discovery, and independent validation and broader sampling are needed before routine authentication use.

1