Proteome comparison for discrimination between honeydew and floral honeys from botanical species Mimosa scabrella Bentham by principal component analysis

Abstract

Background: Due to the increasing valuation and appreciation of honeydew honey in many European countries and also to existing contamination among different types of honeys, authentication is an important aspect of quality control with regard to guaranteeing the origin in terms of source (honeydew or floral) and needs to be determined. Furthermore, proteins are minor components of the honey, despite the importance of their physiological effects, and can differ according to the source of the honey. In this context, the aims of this study were to carry out protein extraction from honeydew and floral honeys and to discriminate these honeys from the same botanical species, Mimosa scabrella Bentham, through proteome comparison using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and principal component analysis.

Results: The results showed that the proteome profile and principal component analysis can be a useful tool for discrimination between these types of honey using matched proteins (45 matched spots). Also, the proteome profile showed 160 protein spots in honeydew honey and 84 spots in the floral honey.

Conclusion: The protein profile can be a differential characteristic of this type of honey, in view of the importance of proteins as bioactive compounds in honey. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Keywords: PCA; discrimination; floral honey; honeydew honey; proteins; two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.