Abstract
The objective of this study was to assess quality of Tigray honey and content of selected metals (Cu, Co, Cr, Ni, Fe, Zn, Cd, Mn). Thirty honey samples from various areas of Tigray Region, Ethiopia were collected and analyzed for major quality parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, moisture content, ash content and levels of selected metals). Moisture content had a value of 18.6 (minimum) and 18.8 (maximum) indicating optimum harvesting and good degree of maturity. All honeys analyzed in this work had ash contents less than 0.6%, indicating that they were more likely to be floral than honeydew origin. Electrical conductivity varies from 8.27 ± 0.02 mS/cm (Hawzene) to 33.5 ± 0.2 mS/cm (Abiy Adi). Values recorded for honey pH ranged from 3.82 ± 0.01 (Hawzen) and 4.45 ± 0.01 (Abiy Adi). In general the Tigray honey shows relatively acidic behavior which is similar to other honeys in the world. The concentration of trace metals in honey was more or less different depending on the sampling area. The highest concentration was observed for iron, copper, nickel, manganese, zinc, chromium, cobalt and cadmium in that order. The highest concentration of metals was observed in Adigrat honey and then Hagereselam, Abiy Adi, Hawezene and the least for Atsbi. KEY WORDS: Honey, Moisture content, Electrical conductivity, Tigray, Ash content, pH, Mineral content, Bioindicator Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2012, 26(1), 127-133.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v26i1.14
Highlights
Honey is the natural sweet substance produced by Apis mellifera bees from the nectar of blossoms or from the secretion of living parts of plants or excretions of plant-sucking insects living on parts of plants, which honey bees collect, transform and combine with specific substances of their own, store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature [1,2,3]
Honey is a complex mixture and presents very great variations in composition and characteristics due to its geographical and botanical origin, its main features depending on the floral origin or the nectar foraged by bees [10,11,12,13]
All the Tigray honeys analyzed were found to be acidic in character irrespective of their variable geographical origin
Summary
Honey is the natural sweet substance produced by Apis mellifera bees from the nectar of blossoms or from the secretion of living parts of plants or excretions of plant-sucking insects living on parts of plants, which honey bees collect, transform and combine with specific substances of their own, store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature [1,2,3]. Honey has numerous uses and functional applications worldwide such as in food systems, religious and magical ceremonies as well as in human and veterinary medicine [16]. It is a very important energy food and is used as an ingredient in hundreds of manufactured foods, mainly in cereal-based products, for its sweetness, color, flavor, caramelization, pumpability and viscosity [17]
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