Open Access

ARTICLE

Volatile compounds of unifloral honey and floral nectar from Quillaja saponaria

by Santander F, C Fredes, G Nuñez, G Casaubon, MI Espinoza, G Montenegro

1 Department of Plant Science, School of Agronomy and Forestry. Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile, Casilla 306-22, Santiago, Chile.
2 DICTUC Taste and Smell Center and ASIS‐UC Interdisciplinary Research Program on Tasty and Healthy Foods, Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile, Casilla 306-22, Santiago, Chile.

* Corresponding Author:Address Correspondence to: Francisca Santander, e-mail:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2014, 83(all), 17-26. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2014.83.017

Abstract

Currently, the search for chemical markers related to the botanical origin of honey is an important issue because of its potential use as a complementary tool for melisopalinological analysis. The objective of this research was to compare the (1) volatile compounds of Quillaja saponaria Mol. (Fam. Quillajaceae) floral nectar with those of unifloral honey of this same species, and (2) volatile compounds in Q. saponaria honeys from the same geographical origin. For the identification and semiquantification of volatile compounds, Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was performed. The nectar of Q. saponaria presented volatile compounds different from the compounds identified in its unifloral honey, which may be precursors of the compounds present in Q. saponaria honey. Ten volatile compounds were found in all the samples of Q. saponaria honey: 2-methyl butyric acid (2 – 21.6 µg/L), benzyl alcohol (1 – 6 µg/L), 2-phenylethanol (16 – 125.3 µg/L), ketoisophorone (2.6 – 15.9 µg/L), linalool (2.4 – 13.8 µg/L) and its oxides 1 and 2 (6 – 13.3 µg/L and 3 – 7 µg/L, respectively), β-damascenone (4 - 12 µg/L), pantolactone (2 – 7.5 µg/L) and furfural (7 – 44,2 µg/L). These compounds were common in unifloral honey with different floral sources from other countries. These results would indicate that Q. saponaria honey does not present specific volatile compounds that allow its clear differentiation from other unifloral honey.

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Keywords

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