Dados do Trabalho

Título

POLLEN SPECTRUM OF HONEY FROM Apis melífera L. PRODUCED IN CAPANEMA – PR

Introdução

Honey has become a significant economic product due to its potential
health benefits and natural sweetening properties. Honey bees produce honey by
collecting nectar and pollen grains from different plants. Therefore, pollen analysis,
named melissopalynology analysis, is an important tool used to detect the botanical and
geographic origin of honey. This study aimed to identify the pollen types occurring in 40
honeys from Capanema City, Paraná.

Material e Métodos

The samples were obtained directly from beekeepers (2022–2023), and analyzed at the Laboratory of Food and Environmental Biotechnology from the Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Câmpus Dois Vizinhos. The pollen analysis was performed using the acetolysis method. The samples were submitted for a qualitative and quantitative analysis. At least 500 pollen grains per sample were counted. Specific literature was used for botanical identification.

Resultados e Discussão

The melissopalynology analysis identified 34 botanical families, with a higher occurrence of pollen from Asteraceae (5 species), Malvaceae (3 species), Fabaceae (10 species), Boraginaceae (4 species) e Myrtaceae (5 species) species. The most recurrent pollens in Capanema are Moquiniastrum polymorphum, named popularly cambará, and Bastardiopsis densiflora, named louro-branco. Capanema borders the Iguaçu National Park and the Iguaçu River, and due to its location, Capanema's honey flora is influenced by several factors, including climate, temperature, rainfall, and soil. This result demonstrated an important contribution of native plant species in bee-pollen production, but also a great contribution of few exotic plant species in the geographical differentiation of bee pollen from Capanema, as well as the importance for beekeeping in promoting the conservation of the natural ecosystems from the region. Such botanical composition would be responsible for the particular nutritional characteristics of honey from this region.

Conclusão

Capanema borders the Iguaçu National
Park and the Iguaçu River, and due to its location, Capanema's honey flora is influenced
by several factors, including climate, temperature, rainfall, and soil. The local flora is too
diverse and most of the plants present feed the bees with nectar and pollen and also
provide propolis. If the flora does not produce honey in its entirety, some plants manage
to maintain swarms during the very strong off-season. The diverse flora makes it possible
to keep the swarms always populous, providing rational breeding without much worry,
with regular feeding of the bees. When the main plants bloom, these swarms are strong
enough and ready to produce one of the best honeys in the world.