21 Ara 2024 Cumartesi
Comparative analysis of physicochemical and biological properties of honey from three different honey bee species in lesser Himalayan range
Abstract : Honey is a natural, sweet, viscous fluid produced as an entomological product by honey bees. It is golden yellow in appearance and has a saturated, complex composition with a wide range of physicochemical and biological properties. The regions in the Lesser Himalayas such as the State of Himachal Pradesh have seen the consumption of a wide variety of domesticated and wild honey from different exotic and indigenous species of honeybees: Apis mellifera, Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis florae, etc. Experimental analysis of the honey samples was done which were collected from three different species of honeybees available in the region mainly Shimla and adjoining areas. The subsequent results were recorded and compared. Certain criteria of interest were moisture content, pH, color, electrical conductivity, reducing and non-reducing sugars, HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural) content, etc. Apis dorsata honey recorded the highest value for parameters like moisture content, specific gravity, optical density, etc. The honey sample of Apis mellifera had the highest Free acidity and Total soluble solids (TSS) value whereas Apis cerana indica honey recorded the highest value for pH, Total Reducing sugars (TRS), etc. The antioxidant and antibacterial properties were also compared based on the phenolic acid, flavonoids, proteins, enzymes, carotenoids, etc. Apis mellifera honey showed the highest bacterial resistance. The present study aims to enhance the current scarce knowledge about the comparative composition and thereby health benefits of honey produced by different bee species in the lesser Himalayan region.