Identification of Potential Medicinal Plant Species in Multiflora Trigona Species Honey from Riau Using a Metabarcoding Approach

Abstract

Stingless bees (Trigona sp.) naturally produce Trigona honey from the nectar of different plants. This honey is known to have various health benefits that are influenced by the composition of the nectar collected by the bees. The aim of this study was to use the DNA metabarcoding approach to identify the plant species that makeup Trigona sp. multiflora honey from Riau, Indonesia. DNA was extracted from the honey samples obtained from the Riau Forest following standard procedure. The extracted DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using universal primers for the target genes internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2). and sequenced using next generation sequencing (NGS) technique. The results of the analysis showed the presence of three plant genera, namely; Syzygium, Amaranthus, and Capsicum. Syzygium aromaticum was found as the dominant species with a relative abundance of 46%, followed by Amaranthus dubius (44%) and Capsicum annuum (10%). This metabarcoding method has proven effective in identifying plant species that make up Trigona multiflora honey and has the potential to identify herbal medicinal plants, such as Syzygium aromaticum which has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. These findings did not only provide insight into the food sources of Trigona bees but also open up opportunities for further exploration into the use of plants as herbal medicines.