Evaluation of bee honey quality in the Nainamadu GN division, Vavuniya district, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Bee honey is a natural sweet substance produced by bees from the nectar of flowers, valued for its unique flavor, nutritional benefits, and medicinal applications. The quality of bee honey varies across regions due to differences in climatic conditions, geographical origin, and plant varieties, making it a unique product in each location. The current study focused on the analysis of bee honey quality in the Nainamadu GN division, Vavuniya. The questionnaire survey was conducted from the staff (n=30) of the Agriculture Department in Vavuniya to select the study area and relevant information. Overall, 23 honey samples were collected from wild honey hunters, beekeepers, and local market sellers in the Nainamadu region. Laboratory-based physiochemical and protein content analysis assessments were carried out to determine the quality of honey based on standard methods. The survey study concluded that wild honey production is the predominant source of honey in the Vavuniya district. Within this district, the Vavuniya North DS division was identified as a potential honey production area. Additionally, the Nainamadu GN division was identified as the key honey production GN division in the Vavuniya district. Longan tree (Dimocarpus longan), Palu tree (Manilkara hexandra), Weera tree (Drypetes sepiaria) and Jamun tree (Syzygium cumini) were the common honey production plant sources in the Nainamadu region and major honey production is from the wild, but apiculture also practiced in this area. The pH (3.35±0.02 to 4.34±0.05), free acidity (6.32±0.10 to 49± 0.80 meq/kg), electrical conductivity (0.11±0.00 to 0.68±0.01 mS/cm), ash content (0.02±0.00 to 0.47±0.02 %), hydroxyl methyl-furfural (7.45±0.24 to 48.65±0.30 mg/kg), moisture content (16.52±0.17 to 22.30±0.52 %), protein content (0.09±0.00 to 0.53±0.02 %) brix value (74.72±1.51 to 83.48±1.23 %) and specific gravity (1.14±0.03 to 1.45±0.02gcm³) of the studied honey samples were studied from Nainamadu GN division. Colour characteristics were performed using UV visible spectrophotometer. Honey samples exhibited various color ranges including Extra Light Amber, Amber White and Light Amber. The pollen analysis indicated that Longan flower pollen exhibited the highest flower pollen in the rich pollen content category. The majority of honey samples (>60%) met the major international standards, confirming the acceptable quality of honey in the Nainamadu region