Características fisico-químicas de méis de abelha-sem-ferrão comercializados em Coari e Tefé, Amazonas, Brasil

Abstract

Stingless bee honey (SB) can be target to adulteration that compromises the quality of the product and can cause harm to consumers. In this context, it is important to evaluate whether the honeys sold in the interior of the Amazons meets the physical-chemical requirements of the Technical Regulation of Identity and Quality (RTIQ) for honey. The objective of work was to analyze whether the physical-chemical characteristics of stingless bee honeys sold in free fairs in the interior of Amazonas meet the quality indicators established in the RTIQ of SB honey from Amazonas. 5 honeys samples were acquired in each municipality to analyze moisture, ash, reducing sugars, apparent sucrose, and free acidity. All analyzes were performed in triplicate. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis’s test, followed by Dunn's test at 5% significance. The ash content varied from 0.20 to 0.50 g 100 g–1 and reducing sugars from 51.1 to 60.5 g 100 g–1, all of which followed the established, the moisture content varied from 23.28 to 36.70 g 100 g–1 a sample presented to disagree. However, the apparent sucrose content ranged from 3.08 to 27.56 g 100 g–1 and free acidity ranged from 92 to 146 mEq kg–1 in most samples, which disagreed. The study that honey samples sold at fairs in Coari and Tefé - AM show signs of adulteration. However, more analyzes provided for in the honey RTIQ need to be carried out and, together with the analyzes already carried out, it can be stated whether or not the samples are suitable for human consumption.