Effect of geographical origin on the chemical and sensory characteristics of chestnut honeys

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the geographical origin on the volatile composition and sensory properties of chestnut honeys produced in different areas. Samples from the Spanish north-east presented significantly higher concentrations of aldehydes, alcohols, lactones and volatile phenols which are associated with herbaceous, woody, and spicy notes detected by the assessors. Chestnut honeys from the north-west area showed superior levels of terpenes, esters and some benzene derivatives, closely related with honey-like, floral and fruity notes. Finally, chestnut honeys produced in the south-east area were characterized by the norisoprenoids content and showed sensory characteristics between the two previous locations.Multivariate statistical analysis revealed variations among production zones allowing the successful differentiation of chestnut honeys from different geographical areas according to their volatile composition and sensory description. Additionally, the presence of 2-hydroxyacetophenone and eucarvone is proposed as useful chemical markers that contribute to typify this botanical source.