Honey is a highly consumed commodity due to its potential health benefits upon certain consumption, resulting in a high market price. This fact indicates the need to protect honey from fraudulent acts by delivering comprehensive analytical methodologies. In this study, targeted, suspect and non-targeted metabolomic workflows were applied to identify botanical origin markers of Greek honey. Blossom honey samples (n = 62) and the unifloral fir (n = 10), oak (n = 24), pine (n = 39) and thyme (n = 34) honeys were analyzed using an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-q-TOF-MS) system. Several potential authenticity markers were revealed from the application of different metabolomic workflows. In detail, based on quantitative targeted analysis, three blossom honey markers were found, namely, galangin, pinocembrin and chrysin, while gallic acid concentration was found to be significantly higher in oak honey. Using suspect screening workflow, 12 additional bioactive compounds were identified and semi-quantified, achieving comprehensive metabolomic honey characterization. Lastly, by combining non-targeted screening with advanced chemometrics, it was possible to discriminate thyme from blossom honey and develop binary discriminatory models with high predictive power. In conclusion, a holistic approach to assessing the botanical origin of Greek honey is presented, highlighting the complementarity of the three applied metabolomic approaches.

• Klíčová slova
• Greek honey, authenticity, botanical origin, chemometrics, discrimination, high-resolution mass spectrometry, honey, metabolomics, phenolic compounds,
• MeSH
• biologické markery MeSH
• chromatografie kapalinová MeSH
• fenoly analýza   MeSH
• hmotnostní spektrometrie metody   MeSH
• med * analýza   MeSH
• Thymus (rostlina) * chemie   MeSH
• vysokoúčinná kapalinová chromatografie metody   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Řecko MeSH
• Názvy látek
• biologické markery MeSH
• fenoly MeSH

Honey consumption is attributed to potentially advantageous effects on human health due to its antioxidant capacity as well as anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, which are mainly related to phenolic compound content. Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites of plants, and their content in honey is primarily affected by the botanical and geographical origin. In this study, a high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) method was applied to determine the phenolic profile of various honey matrices and investigate authenticity markers. A fruitful sample set was collected, including honey from 10 different botanical sources (n = 51) originating from Greece and Poland. Generic liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate as the extractant was used to apply targeted and non-targeted workflows simultaneously. The method was fully validated according to the Eurachem guidelines, and it demonstrated high accuracy, precision, and sensitivity resulting in the detection of 11 target analytes in the samples. Suspect screening identified 16 bioactive compounds in at least one sample, with abscisic acid isomers being the most abundant in arbutus honey. Importantly, 10 markers related to honey geographical origin were revealed through non-targeted screening and the application of advanced chemometric tools. In conclusion, authenticity markers and discrimination patterns were emerged using targeted and non-targeted workflows, indicating the impact of this study on food authenticity and metabolomic fields.

• Klíčová slova
• UPLC–QToF-MS, authenticity, geographical origin, honey, metabolomics, origin discrimination, phenolic compounds,
• MeSH
• antioxidancia analýza   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• benzaldehydy analýza   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• cinnamáty analýza   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• flavonoidy analýza   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• hmotnostní spektrometrie metody   MeSH
• hydroxybenzoáty analýza   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• med analýza   MeSH
• metabolom * MeSH
• metabolomika metody   MeSH
• senzitivita a specificita MeSH
• správnost dat MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• validační studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Polsko MeSH
• Řecko MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antioxidancia MeSH
• benzaldehydy MeSH
• cinnamáty MeSH
• flavonoidy MeSH
• hydroxybenzoáty MeSH
• vanillin MeSH Prohlížeč