Physico-Chemical Properties of Brazilian Eastern Amazon Honey Assessed by Multivariate Principal Components Analysis

Honey from the Apis mellifera bee (Hymenoptera, Apidae) is one of the most consumed beehive products in the world, mainly due to its nutritional and therapeutic value. In poorer regions, its commercialization can be an essential source of income for families and communities. However, the quality of honey can change both during harvesting and processing, as well as by climatic conditions and the type of vegetation. Therefore, implementing good production practices, with quality control in collection and processing, can add value to this product, promoting the development of the region in which it is produced. Thus, the objectives of this work were to characterize the honey of Africanized honeybees produced in the Eastern Amazon region in the cities of Nova Olinda do Maranhao (NO), Santa Luzia do Parua (SL) and verify its correlation with a commercial honey sample (CH) -from Sao Luiz-MA. The physicochemical properties (color, moisture, solids insoluble in water, minerals, and ash, hydroxymethylfurfural, acidity, and diastatic activity) were analyzed according to the methods of CODEX Alimentarius and the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, and these data were evaluated by the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results showed that commercial honey presented higher levels of insoluble solids, HMF, minerals, and ash than samples from NO and SL. Variables that differentiated NO and SL honey were HMF, moisture, and diastase index. Although the samples have different characteristics, the data comply with Brazilian legislation, which can strengthen the development of apiculture in the region.