Brazilian stingless bee honeys: physicochemical, bioactive and aromatic diversity

Abstract

Brazilian stingless bee honeys (SBH) from Melipona scutellaris (uruçu), M. subnitida (jandaíra), Scaptotrigona depilis (canudo) and Cephalotrigona capitata (mombuc˜ao) were characterized for their pollen, physicochemical, bioactive properties, volatile. SBH present significant differences in physicochemical and bioactive properties, although similarities were observed in the pollen profiles of jandaíra and canudo honeys. Potassium was the dominant mineral, with mombuc˜ao honey standing out. Caftaric acid, catechin and Cis-Resveratrol were the main compounds for jandaíra and canudo honeys. Antioxidant activities varied among the SBH: canudo and jandaíra honeys exhibited higher levels of total flavonoids, total phenolics, ABTS, and DPPH, while uruçu and mombuc˜ao honeys showed higher FRAP and ORAC values, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that vegetation may be a determining factor in the clustering of the 191 volatile compounds identified in the SBH samples. Although it has sampling limitations that restrict its ability to comprehensively capture all the variability of these honeys characteristics, the findings of this study contribute to scientific knowledge and provide a basis for developing information on the specific composition of SBH, contributing to the appreciation of native stingless bees and their honey.