Pollen analysis of honey from the Baltic region, Estonia

Abstract

The present study reports the results of pollen analyses of Estonian honey collected from 2000 to 2011. Altogether, the pollen content of 325 honey samples was analysed with an average of 400 pollen grains counted in a sample. The main focus was on the floristic spectrum of plants and on the identification of the most common and important plant sources for honey. More than 120 pollen types were identified in the examined honey samples. The results showed that the pollen types of Rosaceae, Brassicaceae, Salix and Trifolium were the most abundant among the samples. The pollen of Apiaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fagopyrum esculentum, Frangula alnus and Calluna were present in more than 25% of samples. Typical Estonian honey is polyfloral, the average number of species is 13 taxa per sample. During the study period, changes observed were that the percentage of the Rosaceae and Calluna pollen types had decreased, while the proportions of the Brassicaceae and Salix pollen grains showed an increase. The concentration of pollen grains per gram of honey varies from 100 to 700 000. The current information provides new insights into the pollen composition of Estonian honey and could be used to develop analytical standards for the pollen content of Estonian honey.

Keywords:

• pollen analysis
• honey
• melissopalynology
• Estonia

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Estonian Science Foundation grants MTT3 and 8189. The Estonian Beekeeping Association, Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce and private beekeepers are gratefully acknowledged for honey samples. An anonymous reviewer is acknowledged for helpful comments and suggestions.