A preliminary assessment of trnH-psbA as DNA barcode for botanical identification of polyfloral honey samples and comparison with rbcL marker

Maya Ignatova, Katerina Stefanova, Radostina Stoikova-Grigorova, Ralitsa Balkanska

Abstract: Honey is a natural and sweet product produced from Apis mellifera L. It can be classified as monofloral and polyfloral. DNA barcoding of pollen in honey can be used to identify the source of honey with high efficiency. Three polyfloral honey samples were used in the study. The trnH-psbA barcode was found to be an effective marker as source of additional date in identifying of the botanical origin of honey samples with high level of confidence. The purpose of this study was first to assess the efficiency of trnH-psbA marker as a DNA barcode for botanical identification and to compare the data with the obtained results for rbcL marker as a complex approach for botanical identification of polyfloral honey samples.

Keywords: marker/barcode; polyfloral honey; rbcL; trnH-psbA

Date published: 2020-02-27