Qualificação físico-química de méis comercializados no sertão paraibano

Abstract

Honey is a natural product with a viscous and sugary texture, produced by bees from the nectar of flowers. It is used as an energy source, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and immunological, being composed of sugars and also small amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Its quality is evaluated by several physical-chemical parameters that are important for its characterization, and essential to guarantee the quality of this product on the market, in addition to being able to determine the degree of maturity, purity and deterioration. Thus, the present work was developed with the objective of evaluating the quality of honeys sold in two cities in the sertão of Paraíba. Physical-chemical analyzes of pH, Humidity, Acidity, Brix° and Reducing Sugars were carried out in five samples of honey, carried out in the laboratory of the Technological Vocational Center (CVT), Pombal-PB. Analyzes were performed in triplicate. For pH the values ranged from 3.3 (L4) to 5.8 (L3), for humidity values from 12.3 (L3) to 18.6% (L1 and L2) were obtained, being within the limits established by legislation that is up to 20%. The acidity analyzes obtained maximum and minimum averages corresponding to 8.22 (L5) and 2.18 (L2), given the recommended value that should be below 50 mEq/Kg. With regard to the amounts of soluble solids, the samples were statistically similar, with values between 79.1 (L5) and 81.4°Brix (L1 and L2). For the parameter of reducing sugars, there was a significant variation in sample L1, which presented a value of 70.63%, compared to the other samples, with the others being below the amount established by law, which should not be less than 65%. In general, the results obtained show that 80% of the honey samples were outside the standards established by the analysis of reducing sugars, which may be an indication that the honey was still in the process of ripening inside the colony at the time of harvest. . Only sample L1 met all the parameters and could then be marketed.