Classification of honeys from Pará State (Amazon region, Brazil) produced by three different species of bees

Abstract

Twenty seven samples of honey produced in ten cities of Pará State (Amazon region, North of Brazil) by three different species of bee (Apis mellifera, Melipona fasciculata and Melipona flavoneata) were characterized based on mineral composition (Al, As, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Sr and Zn), and some physicochemical parameters, namely color, moisture, density, pH, total soluble solids, insoluble solids, ash, electrical conductivity, formol index, free acidity, hydroxymethylfurfural, reducing sugars, total sugars and sucrose. The mineral content was determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES), and the physicochemical parameters were determined according to officially approved methods. The results of the physicochemical analysis were in agreement with national and international regulations, and with the results of similar studies from around the world. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied in the study of the results of the mineral contents and physicochemical parameters, and it was possible to distinguish the honey samples produced by each of the three different species of bee.