Romania is known among the main European honey producers, due to the variety of landforms as well as the diversity of the flora. Thirty-four honey samples of the acacia, linden and multifloral types, produced in eastern Romania and collected during 2013–2018, were physico-chemically analyzed using methods provided by the national and EU standards. The results of water-insoluble solids, color and refractive index were found to be 0.023–0.131%, 0.3–76.4 mm Pfund and 1.485–1.499, respectively. The moisture content ranged between 15.20% and 20.77%, solid substances content ranged between 79.23% and 84.80% and total soluble substances content ranged between 77.83 °Brix and 83.26 °Brix. The obtained values of specific gravity were from 1.414 to 1.450 g/cm³, pH ranged from 3.673 to 5.503 and free acidity ranged between 2.4 meq and 50 meq kg⁻¹. The ash content and the electrical conductivity varied between 0.030 and 0.543% and 130 and 679 µS cm⁻¹, respectively. Pearsonʹs correlation analysis showed an intense association of the ash content with electrical conductivity (r = 0.81). Our findings reveal the qualitative level of Romanian honey and the variation in quality parameters due to factors such as geographical region, climatic conditions, botanical origin and handling or storage conditions.

Since ancient times, honey has been appreciated not only for its sensorial traits, but also for the observed effects in rejuvenation and treatment against several bad health conditions, when used externally or internally, along with other beehive products, such as pollen, propolis and royal jelly. Today, it is known that such effects are generated by compounds bearing antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative features (enzymes, polyphenolic molecules). The purpose of this study was to assess the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of 28 samples of Romanian raw monofloral honey (acacia; linden; rapeseed, sunflower and mint), and to establish their correlations with several qualitative parameters. Pearson’s test revealed a strong positive correlation between total phenolic content and total flavonoids (r = 0.76) and color intensity (r = 0.72). For total flavonoid content, correlations were strongly positive with color intensity (r = 0.81), ash content (r = 0.76) and electrical conductivity (r = 0.73). The relevant levels of polyphenols and flavonoids identified in the analyzed honey types demonstrate its antioxidant potential, with essential nutritional and sanogenic features in human nutrition.

The by-products of the extraction of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) concentrated juice may represent a functional food ingredient for white chocolate production, as a rich source of bioactive compounds. The effects of six treatments derived from the factorial combination of two types of by-products (with oil or without oil) and three different concentrations (5%, 10%, and 15%), were assessed on rheological, quality, colour, antioxidant, and mineral properties of chocolate. The 15% addition of full powder led to the highest values of max firmness, total shear energy, shear energy, cohesiveness, gummosity, dry matter, and ABTS, compared to the untreated control, but the two highest concentrations of the oil-deprived powder resulted in the protein content increasing. The full powder addition always raised fat levels. Both the ‘L’ and ‘a’ colour component as well as total carotenoids, β-carotene, lycopene, and vitamin C increased with the rise of H. rhamnoides powder addition, compared to the untreated control. The opposite trend was shown by the ‘b’ colour component and pH, whereas polyphenols and antioxidant activity attained higher values with the oil-deprived powder. The content of potassium decreased upon the 15% addition of the Hippophae rhamnoides by-product powder, compared to the untreated control, whereas calcium and magnesium increased. The 15% H. rhamnoides full powder elicited the augmentation of phosphorus content in chocolate, compared to the untreated control, contrary to the effect of the oil-deprived powder on P and Zn. The employment of SBB by-products highlights the great potential for manufacturing innovative functional foods with high nutritional value, such as chocolate.

The objective of this research was to evaluate some quality-defining physicochemical parameters (moisture, specific gravity, pH, free acidity, ash, electrical conductivity, total phenols, and total flavonoids content, K, Ca, Mg, Na, and P) of seven Romanian monofloral honeys (linden, acacia, rapeseed, sunflower, mint, raspberry, and chestnut) collected in 2017. The investigated quality parameters are mainly within the recommended limits set by standards for honey. Sample analyses indicate the presence of antioxidants, such as TPC (17.9–73.2 mg GAE/100 g) and TFC (0.84–4.81 mg QE/100 g), and high amounts of K (101–1462 mg kg⁻¹), Ca (58.3–167.5 mg kg⁻¹), Mg (24.8–330.6 mg kg⁻¹), Na (94.5–233.3 mg kg⁻¹), and P (34.1–137.2 mg kg⁻¹). The Pearson’s correlations between some parameters (such as color/TFC, color/Mg, color/P, EC/Ash, mm Pfund/TFC, TPC/TFC, K/Ash, P/Mg), together with PCA, HCA, and ANOVA statistics, highlight three main factors that explain the variability in the dataset and could be attributed to stability, mineral, and color/antioxidant contributions. FTIR spectra confirm the authenticity of all the monofloral honeys. The results and data processing confirm the influence of environmental elements (soil, water, air) on the honey composition and highlight the quality of honey, as a complete food and a therapeutic product.

The study of honey in Iasi County reveals its ecological, economic and health importance, emphasizing its unique properties, role in biodiversity and value in promoting sustainable beekeeping and regional identity. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of honey from Iasi County, Romania, analyzing 27 samples collected in 2020 and 2021. The samples include tilia (8 raw, 7 commercial), acacia (2 raw, 2 commercial), rapeseed (3 raw), sunflower (3 raw) and lavender (2 raw) honey. Analyses were carried out under Romanian/EU standards, assessing parameters such as color, electrical conductivity, moisture, total soluble solids (TSS), acidity (free, lactone, total), pH, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), ash and mineral composition (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe). The results revealed significant differences between raw and commercial honeys. Notably, in commercial tilia honey, higher values were found for color (38.58 mm Pfund vs. 24.14 mm Pfund), total acidity (25.93 meq·kg⁻¹ vs. 17.36 meq·kg⁻¹) and HMF levels (8.84 mg·kg⁻¹ vs. 3.68 mg·kg⁻¹). Conversely, water-insoluble solids (0.08% vs. 0.15%) and ash content (0.21% vs. 0.30%) were lower in commercial samples. Potassium was the most abundant mineral detected, while copper and zinc levels were the lowest. Significant correlations were observed between several parameters, including ash with electrical conductivity and HMF with acidity. This study underscores the impact of processing on honey quality and highlights the importance of understanding honey composition for consumers and producers alike.

The aim of this research was to evaluate some characteristics (moisture, total solid substances, specific gravity, pH, FA, ash, electrical conductivity, TPC and TFC, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, nickel, cobalt, and lead) of fifteen multifloral honey samples. The quality of the investigated honey was confirmed by the obtained results: moisture, FA, and EC values were below the limit value regulated by the legislation. The average content of total polyphenols and total flavonoids of 29.91 mg GAE/100 g and 2.13 mg QE/100 g confirm the antioxidant properties of honey. Determination of minerals showed that potassium (101.4–1212.6 mg kg⁻¹) was the most abundant mineral in honey, followed by sodium (40.7–302.3 mg kg⁻¹) and calcium (41.8–230.9 mg kg⁻¹). Lead was found in two samples, with a content under the limit stipulation by legislation; nickel was found in one sample of 0.10 mg kg⁻¹, and the content of cobalt was below the detection limit. Significant correlations (p < 0.001) were observed between mm Pfund and electrical conductivity, TPC, TFC, P, Ca, and Zn; strong correlations (p < 0.001) were between electrical conductivity with Ash, TPC, TFC, K, and P. FTIR analysis confirmed the differences obtained by analyzing multifloral honey samples.