Multidisciplinary analysis of Italian Alpine wildflower honey reveals criticalities, diversity and value

• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98876-y
• Publication Date: 2021-09-29T10:21:04Z
• Authors: Valeria Leoni; Luca Giupponi; Radmila Pavlovic; Carla Gianoncelli; Francisco Cecati; Elia Ranzato; Simona Martinotti; Davide Pedrali; Annamaria Giorgi; Sara Panseri
• Keywords: Wildflower; Blowing a raspberry; Apiary

Wildflower honeys produced in mountain grasslands are an expression of the biodiversity these fragile habitats. Despite its importance, botanical origin honey is often defined without performing formal analysis. The aim study was to characterize six wildflower Italian Alps with different analytic techniques (SPME-GC-MS, HPLC-Orbitrap, cicatrizing and antioxidant activity) alongside melissopalynological analysis definition production area. Even though apiaries were rich Alpine herbaceous species, could be as rhododendron/raspberry unifloral or raspberry rhododendron bifloral while at lowest altitude differed due presence linden, heather chestnut. non-compliance habitat (meadows pastures) fragmentation, but also specific compounds involved plant-insect relationship, such kynurenic acid, present a high quantity sample chestnut pollen. 255 volatile detected well some well-known markers botanic essences, particular chestnut, linden heather, responsible for most differences aroma profiling. A correlation between nicotinaldehyde content percentage pollen (r = 0.853, p < 0.05) found. Phenolic acid hydroxy-fatty predominant dominant honey, which presented highest activity activity, flavonoid fraction accentuated one (rhododendron prevalent), that effect on wound closure, although all samples had similar effects apart from (lowest activity). Our highlighted difficulty producing importance thorough characterization this product, encourage valorisation.