## 3 Results and Discussion
### Statistical Analysis  
Employing PCA modeling (Figure 4), trends associated with the relationships between the nutritional profile, color characteristics, and melissopalynological analysis of various honey types were shown.  
The first two components accounted for 47.7% of the overall variance and revealed specific color patterns and possible connections between nutrients and botanical origin by displaying certain aggregations. The refractive index, \"Brix, and L values were negatively correlated with moisture, electrical conductivity, and the coordinates of a* and b*, respectively. Regarding honey samples, the first quadrant distinguishes the samples with predominant _Castanea_ sp. pollen types and a positive correlation with a* and b* values, moisture content, and electrical conductivity and a negative correlation between these characteristics and the L* and refractive index levels. A similar pattern has been observed in samples H7, H15, H17, and H18, with predominant _Castanea_ sp. and _Fallopia_ sp. pollen types. In the second quadrant, the samples with predominant pollen from _Citrus_ sp., _Robinia_ sp., and _Rubus_ sp. were positively associated with \"Brix and refractive index values and negatively associated with moisture content, electrical conductivity, and pH. The subsequent quadrant highlights the samples with predominant _Brnsica_ sp. (H2) and _Tilia_ sp. (H1) pollen types as outliers due to their relatively similar composition; these Bulgarian samples were positively associated with lightness and negatively associated with a*, b*, and hue values. These findings suggest a potential correlation between specific pollen types and certain quality parameters in the honey samples.  
A heatmap summarizing the mineral profile pattern in honey samples according to their color characteristics and botanical origin is visualized in Figure 5. Following the cluster analysis and importance score, the upper main cluster highlights the samples from Bulgaria and Cyprus differentiated from the other honey types mainly due to their botanical origin with a predominance of pollen from _Brnsica_, _Citrus_, and _Robinia_ genera and Fabaceae and higher luminosity (L*), but also due to their elevated levels of Cr and B. The following cluster underlines the honeydew honey samples (collected from Turkiye and Romania) and _Rubus_ sp. and _Fallopia_ honey types from Romania (i.e., H6 and H7, respectively) which, according to their position in the heatmap, outline the importance of the botanical origin that influences the mineral composition. These honey types presented significant levels of Al, Mg, P, Cu, Mn, and Ni. The outlier sample with predominant _Fallopia_ (H7) is imperative to be mentioned as it accumulated the highest level in B and has the most vivid red hue (a*) compared with all the honey types under study. Subsequently, the honey samples with  
Figure 4: PCA plots of melissopalynological analysis, physicochemical composition, and color characteristics (**A**) of the collected honey samples from different geographical regions (**B**), at a confidence level of 0.95 (**C**).  
a predominance of _Castanaea_ sp. presented noteworthy accumulations of both Fe and Zn, along with significant levels of Ca and K. Therefore, the botanical origin of honey plays a crucial role in the determination of mineral composition, as evidenced by the significant levels of various elements found in different honey types [69,70]. As previously highlighted, the outlier sample from _Fallopia_ (H7) stands out for its high levels of B and vibrant red hue, while the honey samples with _Castanaea_ sp. as the predominant botanical origin show notable accumulations of Fe, Ca, K, and Zn.