Differentiation and classification of Australian single botanical origin honeys using spatially offset Raman...

Area of Science:

• Food science and technology
• Analytical chemistry
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Food fraud is a significant global concern, with honey being a commonly adulterated product.
• Ensuring the authenticity and integrity of honey is crucial for consumer trust and fair trade.
• Reliable methods for honey authentication, particularly for determining botanical origin, are in high demand.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) as a novel method for honey authentication.
• To assess the capability of SORS in identifying the botanical origin of Australian honey products.
• To evaluate SORS performance on honey samples in their original packaging.

Main Methods:

• Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) was employed to analyze commercially available Australian honey.
• Spectral data were collected from honey samples in their original packaging.
• Principal Component Analysis-Linear Discriminant Analysis (PCA-LDA) was used for data analysis and classification.

Main Results:

• SORS spectra showed subtle but distinct differences corresponding to different botanical origins of honey.
• PCA-LDA achieved 100% accuracy in discriminating the botanical origin of processed honey samples.
• PCA-LDA achieved 90.82% accuracy in discriminating the botanical origin of unprocessed honey samples.

Conclusions:

• Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) is a highly effective technique for authenticating the botanical origin of honey.
• The method demonstrates potential for rapid, non-destructive analysis of honey directly in its packaging.
• SORS offers a promising solution to combat honey adulteration and ensure product authenticity.