Estudo do impacto do conteúdo de umidade no mel proveniente da apicultura familiar em Mata Atlântica do Vale do Ribeira, São Paulo

Abstract

Family beekeeping is expanding in several Brazilian States; however, it is an agrarian activity that requires training, technology management and government support. In order to ensure quality control and safety of bee products, the study sought to assess the impact of environmental conditions of Vale do Ribeira on the beekeeping and honey production from five quilombola communities with respect to honey moisture content, relative air humidity and air temperature, as well as their botanical origin. The results led to the identification of the floral origin of honey as Wildflower from the Atlantic Forest, which use of native bee flora was recommended to beekeepers within the international standards of sustainable development. The physical-chemical results provided subsidies for good practices in family beekeeping and strategy development to improve the process to obtain a honey with a longer shelf life, which brought benefits to the best final quality of the product, suitable for consumption.