Dissertation
Authentication of Australian and New Zealand honey origins by chromatography, and their anti-inflammatory properties
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast
2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/00538
Abstract
Over the past two decades, there have been sharp increases in the demand for and value of honey derived from the nectar of Leptospermum species native to Australia and New Zealand, primarily due to their high non-peroxide anti-bacterial activity. However, a critical issue facing the Australian and New Zealand honey industries is to maintain the integrity of the product against the increasing occurrence of fraudulently mislabelled honey. The first aim of this PhD research project was to evaluate whether the chromatographic profiles of phytochemicals found in Australian and New Zealand honey could be used to authenticate the floral source and geographical origins of the honeys. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the honey samples (n = 151) were isolated from the honey matrix with a rapid and low volume liquid-liquid ethyl acetate extraction. Volatility was imparted to the semi-volatile organic compounds in the honey samples through trimethylsilyl-derivatisation to increase detectability. The VOCs in the honey samples were detected and quantified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis of the concentrations of VOCs in the honey samples accurately predicted the floral source of honey from Australia and New Zealand. Results from the blind testing showed that the classification model correctly classified 96.3 % of the Leptospermum honey samples to the genus level, and 87.1 % of the non-Leptospermum honey samples. Increasing the number of honey varieties, in particular Australian Leptospermum species like L. speciosum and L. nitens, and the sample size analysed by CART will only improve the accuracy of this model.
Details
- Title
- Authentication of Australian and New Zealand honey origins by chromatography, and their anti-inflammatory properties
- Authors
- Daniel Meloncelli
- Contributors
- Peter R Brooks (Supervisor)
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/00538
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Student Services and Engagement; Centre for Bioinnovation
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451008202621
- Output Type
- Dissertation
Metrics
83 File views/ downloads
689 Record Views