Honeys of Sardinia (Italy)

Honey is a product closely related to its area of production and whose composition and flavour depend on the types of flowers foraged by bees. On the other hand, the main features of final products are also influenced by soil and climatic conditions, as well as human activities. Sardinia (Italy) is an island located in the centre of the Mediterranean basin and covers about 24,000 Km2. The most part of the surface is characterized by the presence of natural vegetation and extensive agro-pastoral agriculture. There are limited areas with intensive agriculture based on the use of chemicals (pesticides or fertilizers), and also limited industrial districts. Therefore, the island is for the most part natural, which represents the ideal status for high quality honey production. The melliferous plants of Sardinia include more than 200 species, which allow the production of different monofloral and polyfloral honeys, including typical productions from Asphodel, Thistle and Strawberry-tree (bitter honey) and other typical Mediterranean or worldwide spread products such as Eucalyptus and Citrus. This paper reports a descriptive catalogue of the monofloral and polyfloral Sardinian honeys, and, for each type, gives information on botanical origins (nectar sources), melissopalynological, organoleptic and chemical-physical characteristics.