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Foods
Special Issues
Composition, Characteristics and Analysis of Honey and Beehive Products
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Composition, Characteristics and Analysis of Honey and Beehive Products

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (27 June 2025) | Viewed by 1927

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sónia Soares

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Guest Editor
REQUIMTE, LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia Do Porto, Instituto Politécnico Do Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
Interests: honey and beehive products; DNA-based methods; food authenticity; food safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Clara Grosso

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Guest Editor
REQUIMTE, LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia Do Porto, Instituto Politécnico Do Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
Interests: medicinal and aromatic plants; seaweeds; secondary metabolites; bioactivities; green extraction processes; nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristina Soares

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
REQUIMTE, LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia Do Porto, Instituto Politécnico Do Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
Interests: bioresources; seaweeds; food safety and processing; functional products; bioactivities; green technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Honey and bee products are increasingly preferred by consumers due to the well-known relation of these natural products with health-promoting properties. Honey, a biologically enriched natural foodstuff, has been valued since ancient times for its taste, nutritional value, and health benefits. In addition to honey, honeybees produce other valuable products, including pollen, propolis, royal jelly, wax, and bee bread. These beehive products (BHPs) are highly sought after by both consumers and industries due to their notable biological properties and applications. The rising demand for these products contributes to the importance of evaluating their composition, properties, and potential risks to confirm their safety, quality, and authenticity. A variety of chemical and biological analyses are commonly employed to characterize honey and BHP through molecular, chromatographic, and spectroscopic methodologies, among others.

This Special Issue aims to enhance our understanding of the composition and characteristics of honey and BHP, setting innovative analytical approaches and contributing to their valorization in various fields

Dr. Sónia Soares
Dr. Clara Grosso
Dr. Cristina Soares
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • honey composition
  • beehive products
  • food quality
  • food authenticity
  • nutritional value
  • honey biological properties
  • chemical analysis
  • spectroscopic methodologies

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 3140 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical and Sensory Evaluation of Romanian Monofloral Honeys from Different Supply Chains
by Elena Daniela Bratosin, Delia Mirela Tit, Manuela Bianca Pasca, Anamaria Lavinia Purza, Gabriela Bungau, Ruxandra Cristina Marin, Andrei Flavius Radu and Daniela Gitea
Foods 2025, 14(13), 2372; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14132372 - 4 Jul 2025
Viewed by 214
Abstract
Honey quality and authenticity are influenced by floral origin, processing, and storage, with implications for composition and sensory appeal. This study offers a comparative assessment of eight monofloral honey samples, representing five botanical varieties: acacia, linden, rapeseed, lavender, and thyme. For acacia, linden, [...] Read more.
Honey quality and authenticity are influenced by floral origin, processing, and storage, with implications for composition and sensory appeal. This study offers a comparative assessment of eight monofloral honey samples, representing five botanical varieties: acacia, linden, rapeseed, lavender, and thyme. For acacia, linden, and rapeseed, both producer-sourced and commercial honeys were analyzed, while lavender and thyme samples were available only from local beekeepers. The botanical origin of each sample was confirmed using morphological markers of pollen grains. Physicochemical characterization included acidity, pH, moisture content, refractive index, hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), proline concentration, and carbohydrate profiling by HPLC-RID. Acacia honey exhibited the lowest acidity and HMF levels, alongside the highest fructose/glucose (F/G) ratios, indicating superior freshness, lower crystallization risk, and a sweeter flavor profile. In contrast, rapeseed honey showed elevated glucose levels and the lowest F/G ratio, confirming its tendency to crystallize rapidly. All samples recorded proline concentrations well above the quality threshold (180 mg/kg), supporting their authenticity and proper maturation. The estimated glycemic index (eGI) varied between 43.91 and 62.68 and was strongly inversely correlated with the F/G ratio (r = −0.98, p < 0.001). Sensory evaluation highlighted acacia honey from producers as the most appreciated across visual, tactile, and flavor attributes. Correlation analyses further revealed consistent links between sugar composition and both physical and sensory properties. Overall, the findings reinforce the value of integrated analytical and sensory profiling in assessing honey quality and authenticity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composition, Characteristics and Analysis of Honey and Beehive Products)
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34 pages, 2028 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of Honey from the Portuguese Protected Area of Montesinho Natural Park
by Clara Grosso, Sónia Soares, Aurora Silva, Cristina Soares, Manuela M. Moreira, Olena Dorosh, M. Fátima Barroso, Miguel A. Prieto and Cristina Delerue-Matos
Foods 2025, 14(6), 963; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14060963 - 12 Mar 2025
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Abstract
The main objective of this study was to provide an overview of the potential health-promoting properties of honeys collected at specific apiary locations from the protected area of Montesinho Natural Park (MNP), by analyzing their amino acid and polyphenolic profiles, and their biological [...] Read more.
The main objective of this study was to provide an overview of the potential health-promoting properties of honeys collected at specific apiary locations from the protected area of Montesinho Natural Park (MNP), by analyzing their amino acid and polyphenolic profiles, and their biological properties, and comparing them with the renowned Manuka honey. The results revealed differences in total phenolic content among the samples examined and between sampling campaigns, with values ranging from 55.6 to 225 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per 100 g of honey, compared to 57.2 mg GAE/100 g for Manuka honey. Gallic acid, neochlorogenic acid, and catechin were the key phenolics of MNP honey samples. MNP honey exhibited high levels of essential amino acids (phenylalanine, lysine, and valine), strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, moderate enzyme inhibition, and high proline content in some locations. These results highlight the exceptional nutritional and therapeutic potential of MNP honey. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composition, Characteristics and Analysis of Honey and Beehive Products)
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