APPLICATION OF A STATISTICAL APPROACH TO THE CLASSIFICATION OF HONEY BY GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN

Forty eight honeys from the La Rioja region of Spain were analysed to establish their quality. Fourteen legally required parameters of quali ty control were measured. Samples were obtained from two geographic ar eas of production: Valley and Sierra. These areas present different ag roclimatic conditions and, thus, different flora. Classification of th ese honeys according to their geographic origin was achieved by applyi ng multivariate statistical analysis to the chemical and physical data . Acidity (free acidity and pH), mineral content (electrical conductiv ity and ash) and factors related to degree of freshness (hydroxymethyl furfural and diastatic activity), were found to be the most important features for classification. Determination of the geographic origin of a La Rioja honey (Valley or Sierra) was possible with 83% accuracy us ing only these legally required quality control parameters; pollen stu dies were not necessary to achieve this objective.