Unique signatures of honeys as a means to establish provenance

Abstract

Global consumer demands for high quality genuine honey are increasing continuously. The ability to identify the geographical and botanical origins of honey would be of great importance to the improvement of quality control, as well as protection of reputation and confidence of the honey industry. The establishment of unique signatures of honey is one of the potential approaches for honey provenance. A great deal of literature has been published on honey authenticity and provenance. However, specific study focusing on the provenance of honey, especially those of the stingless bee species is lacking, especially in Malaysia. Consequently, this mini review is to highlight the presence of biomarkers in honeys for establishing their provenance via the application of spectroscopy and chemometric techniques.