EVALUATION OF THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND POLLEN CONTENT OF HONEYSAMPLES FROM EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The present study was carried out to determine the pollen content and quality of honey samples sourced from different localities (Onicha, Ivo and Ohaozara) in Ebonyi State in 2017. Physicochemical analyses of the samples were carried out using the official methods of analysis of the Association of Analytical Chemists and the pollen analysis was done using the acetolysis method. The ranges of different parameters are 10.80 - 11.72% moisture; 0.00 - 0.50% fat; 0.37 - 0.52% protein; 0.23 - 0.40% ash; 5.00 -10.00% polyphenol; 56.00 - 81.20 meq/kg free acidity; 4.0 - 4.3 pH; 12.80 - 42.67 mg/kg hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF); 47.70 - 49.40 mg/100 g fructose; 23.80 - 36.90 mg/100 g glucose and 4.18 - 5.50% sucrose. The ranges of mineral contents are 3100 - 5350 mg/100 g zinc; 48.70 - 68.50 mg/100 g calcium; 3.90 - 5.50 mg/100 g magnesium; 2.06 - 2.97 mg/100 g potassium and 0.30 - 0.38 mg/100 g sodium. Evaluation of the physicochemical composition of the honey samples indicated that most of the tested parameters meet international standard, with the exception of free acidity, which recorded values beyond the recommended standard. Palynological study revealed that the honey samples were both monofloral and multifloral. A total of 30 pollen types belonging to 24 families of plants were recorded in the study. Important honey plants that were identified in this study include Elaeis guineensis, Syzygium guineense, Alchornea cordifolia and Nauclea latifolia etc.