PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND MELISSOPALYNOLOGICAL STUDIES ON MONOFLORAL HONEY OF Apis mellifera Fab. (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE)
Loading...
Date
2021-11-29
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
Abstract
The study was carried out at the Departments of Apiculture and Plant Biotechnology, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru during 2020-21. A total of 20 honey samples, belonged to five monofloral honeys viz., Litchi, Acacia, Sunflower, Mustard and Eucalyptus were collected from 20 different Apis mellifera colonies were investigated. The results of melissopalynological investigation revealed that Litchi chinensis (84 %), Acacia auriculiformis F. (72 %), Helianthus annuus (91 %), Brassica juncea (73 %) and Eucalyptus globulus (87%) were the major pollen types, whereas Brassica sp. (16%), Michelia sp. (28 %), Phyllanthus sp. (9 %), Chrysophyllum sp. (27 %) and Grevillea robusta (13 %) were the minor pollen types. All the monofloral honey were categorized under group-III, since their absolute number of pollen grains were in between 100,000 and 500,000 in 10 g of honey. The physical parameters, such as
specific gravity of collected monofloral honey ranged from 1.4523 to 1.4568 followed by refractive index (1.4886-1.4963), moisture content (16.15-19.15 %), electrical conductivity (0.33-0.76 dS/m), pH (3.66-4.33), ash content (0.15-0.25 %), total soluble solids (78.75-81.75 °Brix), total solids (80.85-83.85 %), optical density (0.08-0.38) and pfund values (22.50-77.00 mm). The chemical parameters, such as total reducing sugars (70.18-76.16%), sucrose (0.96-3.26 %), glucose (32.01-39.71 %), fructose (34.72- 38.17 %), HMF (2.12-12.29 mg/kg), diastase activity (8.10-17.48 Schade units), fructose-glucose ratio (0.84-1.10) and acidity 0.07 to 0.17 formic acid per cent. All the physical and chemical parameters of five monofloral honey samples of A. mellifera were within the specified guidelines of AGMARK, FSSAI, Codex and EU standards.