Floral origin markers of heather honeys: Calluna vulgaris and Erica arborea

'Heather' is commonly used to qualify honeys issuing from the Ericaceae fam ily. As mellissopalynology and sensory assessments alone were not sufficien t to authenticate their floral origin, volatile compounds from Erica arbore a and Calluna vulgaris unifloral honeys were investigated. Flavours were is olated via dichloromethane solubilisation, followed by a Likens-Nickerson s imultaneous steam-distillation/solvent extraction. The extracts exhibited a n intense honey aroma, representative of their floral origin. Four hundred compounds were separated by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Among them, and in comparison with 11 other honey types, 4 proved to be markers of the Ericaceae family. Moreover, 3 were specific for Calluna vulgaris spe cies and 3 others discriminant for the Erica arborea samples. (C) 1998 Else vier Science Ltd. All rights reserved..