Comparative physicochemical and mineral profiling of multifloral honeys from Apis mellifera in Himachal Pradesh, India: implications for export and GI tagging

This study examined the physicochemical, mineral, and bacterial profiles of multifloral honeys from Apis mellifera L. collected from different agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh, India. Of the total honey samples, 26 were identified as multifloral based on melissopalynological analysis. The commonly occurring and prominent pollen types identified in the multifloral honey samples included Eucalyptus sp., Brassica sp., Acacia sp., Cassia sp., Dalbergia sp., Syzygium sp., Albizia sp., Bombax sp., Jacaranda sp., Prunus sp., Trifolium sp., Robinia sp., Adhatoda sp., Plectranthus sp., Thymus sp., and Fagopyrum sp. reflecting the diverse floral resources contributing to honey production in the region. The physicochemical parameters varied considerably among the multifloral honeys, with pollen density ranging from 42,000 to 545,000 pollen grains per 10 g, pH from 3.97 to 5.96, electrical conductivity from 0.13 to 0.74 mS/cm, moisture content from 14.34 to 20.13%, optical density from 0.12 (Extra White) to 2.41 (Amber), density from 1.35 to 1.61 g/cm 3 , glucose from 25.23 to 37.06%, fructose from 31.70 to 40.66%, sucrose from 2.74 to 5.78%, F:G ratio from 0.93 to 1.50, acidity from 17.40 to 49.36 meq/kg, vitamin C from 7.67 to 38.49 mg/100 g, ash from 0.02 to 0.42%, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from 6.59 to 86 mg/kg, diastase from 4.53 to 30.48 DN, phenol from 12.96 to 108.54 mg GAE/100 g, proline from 18.19 to 113.98 mg/100 g, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl activity from 16.49 to 78.84%. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, sodium, iron, and manganese were detected in the honey samples. No significant signs of adulteration were detected, and all multifloral honey samples met FSSAI safety standards, confirming their purity and compliance with recommended quality parameters. Furthermore, principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis indicated variation in honey quality parameters according to geographical origin. The studied regions exhibited rich floral diversity, facilitating the production of distinctive multifloral honeys with potential for geographical indication recognition specific to the region.