Volatile organic compounds of honeys produced by Apis dorsata fabricius

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of twenty multifloral honeys of Prayagraj district Uttar Pradesh produced by Apis dorsata were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GCMS) detector. A total of major 40 VOCs was identified and classified as alcohol, aldehydes, aliphatic as well as aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic acids, esters, fatty acids, furans, ketones, pyrans and their derivatives. The high peak areas in chromatograms for hexadecanoic acid (palmitic acid), 9-octadecanoic acids and 9,12,octadecanoic acids (linoleic acids) indicates their high contents in rural honeys as compared to that of urban honeys. 2(3 H)-naphthalenone,4,4a,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-4a-methyl and heptafluorobutyric acid were found in honeys collected from urban area only. These VOCs found in honeys from urban area can be considered as an indicator to environmental pollution. The present study reports maximum VOCs from honeys collected from rural area and also correlated with the botanical vegetation near the beehives.