The application of chemometric techniques for the classification of bee products : a review

The chemometric techniques are used for the classification of the samples to the groups. The classification may be unpredictable (when samples are grouped according to some specific parameters) and predictable (when the dependence of the sample to some specific (already known) group is tested). The hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis are the most popular in classification of food samples, including bee products. However other tests, like artificial neural networks, partial least squares or partial least squares discriminant analysis, canonical variate analysis, soft independent modelling class analogy, and etc., are applied. As composition of bee products is enough rich in diversity of chemical compounds, the various factors are used for the classification of the samples: carbohydrates composition, amino acids content and composition, volatile compounds composition, phenolic compounds and flavonoids content and composition, mineral composition. Chemometric classification of bee products can be based not only chemical composition, but also on other characteristics, like antiradical activity, DNR composition, electrical conductivity, optical rotation, antibacterial activity, and etcBiochemijos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta