Oligosaccharides in New Zealand Honeydew Honey

A series of oligosaccharides based upon successive addition of glucose (1→4) to the glucopyranosyl residue of sucrose and another series similar to the first but with the final residue linked (1→6) have been isolated from New Zealand honeydew honey and fully characterized. Because the trisaccharide in this series is erlose, it is inferred that the honeydew of the indigenous scale insect, Ultracoelostoma assimile, which lives upon the Southern beech, Nothofagus spp., is of the erlose type. These oligosaccharides and others have been quantified by GC and LC in six New Zealand honeydew honeys. Keywords: Honeydew; honey; Ultracoelostoma assimile; scale insect; Nothofagus spp.; Southern beech; oligosaccharides; erlose; New Zealand