The honey bee and the mint: characteristics of Mentha x piperita L. honey

Mentha species (mint, family Lamiaceae), rich in essential oils, are used both for infusions and for products intended for hygiene and food, thanks to their aromatic and therapeutic properties. The mint essence is obtained mainly from peppermint, Mentha x piperita L., hybrid between Mentha spicata and Mentha aquatica, worldwide cultivated and typically, in Italy, in the Pancalieri territory and neighbouring areas (north-western Italy). The mints are usually very foraged by honey bees, collecting mainly nectar. In Pancalieri area, in summer, an unifloral mint honey is often produced. The physicochemical and sensory characteristics of this honey are not yet defined, even though they are necessary to characterize and to valorize this typical unifloral honey, together with the melissopalynological ones. Researches aimed at the typing of this honey and the detection of its components have been carried out with field and laboratory trials. Physico-chemical parameters as water content, pH, electrical conductivity, color, and the pollen spectrum of mint honeys were analyzed. NMR based metabolic analysis has been performed on water extracts of honey samples allowing the detection of saccharides, organic acids, amino acids and other compounds. M. x piperita, as a completely devoid of pollen hybrid, impairs the floral origin determination based on the specific pollen grains, achieved by the melissopalynological analysis. The bees actively visit this plant, both for its high diffusion and for the scarcity of contemporary blooms, producing a beige color crystallized honey typified by peculiar sensory characteristics.