Melissopalynology:
Melissopalynology is the study of pollen in honey. The term comes from the Greek words for “bee” and “honey” along with the words for “study of dust,” which now refers to “pollen.” Today, it is recognized worldwide as being the least expensive and quickest way to determine the floral contents and geographical origin of honey. However, the effectiveness of the technique depends on the skills of the pollen analysis (palynologist), the method of extracting the pollen from honey samples, and the skill of the analyst in interpreting the results. Today honey has become an important commercial business and provides sweetness used in thousands of products. [Bee Culture]
Noted in “How clues in honey can help fight our biggest biodiversity challenges,” Graham Lawton, NewScientist (10 August 2024, paywall):
The idea that honey contains biological fingerprints of its origins isn’t new. In 1895, a German chemist by the name of Pfister (his forename is lost in the mists of time) examined samples of honey under a microscope and noted that the pollen grains within were diagnostic of where the honey was made. Thus began the science of melissopalynology, the visual analysis of pollen grains in honey to determine its geographical origin.
