Abstract: Honey is a global food that is known also for its healing, antiseptic, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Research aimed to characterize botanical origin and physicochemical properties may increase knowledge of the product in a given geographic area, as well as its commercial value. A total of 29 different honey samples collected in Sicily have been analysed for various physicochemical parameters (water content, pH,
acidity, reducing sugars, saccharose, electrical conductivity, diastase activity and colour) and characterized for pollen content. Head space
solid phase micro extraction followed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry was used for the determination of the volatile profile of the honey samples. More than 50 volatile compounds were detected in all samples; using statistical analysis by hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) these compounds were found to reflect the botanical origin of the honey samples.
Abstract: Fast field cycling (FFC) NMR relaxometry has been used to study the conformational properties of aqueous
solutions of hyaluronan (HYA) at three concentrations in the range 10 to 25 mg mLâ1. Results revealed that, irrespective of the solution concentration, three different hydration layers surround hyaluronan. The inner layer consists of water molecules strongly retained in the proximity of the HYA surface. Because of their strong interactions with HYA, water molecules in this inner hydration layer are subject to very slow dynamics and have the largest correlation times. The other two hydration layers are made of water molecules which are located progressively further from the HYA surface. As a result, decreasing correlation times caused by faster molecular motion were measured. The NMRD profiles obtained by FFC-NMR relaxometry also showed peaks
attributable to 1Hâ14N quadrupole interactions. Changes in intensity and position of the quadrupolar peaks in the NMRD profiles suggested that with increasing concentration the amido group is progressively involved in the formation of weak and transient intramolecular water bridging adjacent hyaluronan chains. In this work, FFC-NMR was used for the first time to obtain deeper insight into HYAâwater interactions and proved itself a powerful and promising tool in hyaluronan chemistry
