## 4 Discussion  
### Physicochemical Analysis and Determination of Color  
The moisture content of honey is influenced by the climatic condition, degree of maturity and extraction and storage conditions [3]. Lower moisture content can lead to the development of caramelization and the production of Maillard reaction products during honey storage at room temperature; on the other hand, higher water content might cause honey fermentation and formation of acetic acid [13]. Viscosity, solubility, crystallization, taste and color are parameters that depend on the water content of the honey [14]. The moisture content of honey samples analyzed were all within the standard limit required by the European Union's Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey whereby the moisture content, in general, should not be more than 20% [12]. The obtained results are close to those previously reported by [PERSON] et al. [15]. Electrical conductivity is a property of electron mobility and is largely correlated with honey mineral salt, organic acids, and protein levels [16]. EC is a good criterion of the botanical origin of the honey and it is determined in routine honey control instead of the ash content [3, 17]. The higher ash and acid content, the higher the resulting conductivity [18, 19]. Usually, the electrical conductivity of rape honey is rather low [20, 21], which means that rape honey contains a lower amount of mineral salts [22]. Electrical conductivity is a  
Figure 2: Chromatograms of non-traditional honey aroma compounds (black line—lime honey, pink line—buckwheat honey, blue line—honeyhow from coniferous honeydew). significant discriminating parameter for honeydew honey from floral honey, which has a greater conductivity than floral honey [23; 24]. Similar values of EC have been reported by [PERSON] et al. [18], [PERSON] et al. [25], and [PERSON] et al. [26]. Honey acidity is an indicator of the deterioration of honey. This parameter is due to the presence of organic acids in equilibrium with intermolecular esters, lactone, and to inorganic ions, such as phosphate, sulfate, and chloride; in addition, higher values of acidity may indicate that sugars are transformed into organic acids [3]. In terms of acidity, the Council Directive 2001/110/EC established a level of 40 meq/kg for poly floral honey and 50 meq/kg for honeydew honey, respectively. The acidity observed in the current study for different honey samples was acceptable (below 50 meq/kg), indicating the absence of undesirable fermentation. The results obtained for acidity were in agreement with data reported from other geographical locations [16; 25]. Some authors suggest that acidity can be used to differentiate between nectar honey and honeydew honey, as confirmed in this study [24]. Variation in the acidity level in the sampled honey may be due to variation in the harvest season, geographical origin, floral sources, acids produced by bacteria, and the mineral present [27]. The pH of honey influences its texture, stability, and shelf life [18]. The pH is an indicator of possible microbial growth because pH between 7.2 and 7.4 is the optimum for most microorganisms. Therefore, pH values ranging from 3.2 to 4.5 are considered acceptable for honey samples [3]. pH value also is an important variable in the control of spoilage in foods. The low pH content of the honey samples that were investigated in our study, is very desirable as it leads to inhibition of the growth of microorganisms [28]. All honey samples analyzed in this study were characterized by HMF concentration amounts within the parameters allowed according to the European regulations of quality [12] for honey samples-level below 40 mg/kg. HMF content is widely recognized as a parameter of honey freshness as it is absent in fresh honey and tends to increase during processing [16]. Although HMF occurs naturally in honey, the samples analyzed in the present study contained low levels of it, which may be due to the freshness of the honey.