Botanical Origin Differentiation of Malaysian Stingless Bee Honey Produced by Heterotrigona itama and Geniotrigona thoracica Using Chemometrics

Stingless bee honey, specifically honeydew honey, is generally valued for its better health benefits than those of most blossom types. However, scientific studies about the differentiation of stingless bee honey based on honeydew and blossom origins are very limited. In this study, C-13 NMR spectroscopy was employed to quantify the seven major sugar tautomers in stingless bee honey samples, and the major sugar compositions of both honeydew and blossom types were found not significantly different. However, several physicochemical properties of honeydew honey including moisture content, free acidity, electrical conductivity, ash content, acetic acid, diastase, hydrogen peroxide, and mineral elements levels were significantly higher; while total soluble solid, proline, and hydroxymethylfurfural were significantly lower than blossom honey. Greater antioxidant capacity in honeydew honey was proven with higher total phenolic compounds, ABTS, DPPH, superoxide radical scavenging activities, peroxyl radical inhibition, iron chelation, and ferric reducing power. Using principal component analysis (PCA), two clusters of stingless bee honey from the honeydew and blossom origin were observed. PCA also revealed that the differentiation between honeydew and blossom origin of stingless bee honey is possible with certain physicochemical and antioxidant parameters. The combination of NMR spectroscopy and chemometrics are suggested to be useful to determine the authenticity and botanical origin of stingless bee honey.

Automated summary

This study used C-13 NMR spectroscopy to quantify the major sugar tautomers in stingless bee honey, finding no significant difference in sugar compositions between honeydew and blossom types. Honeydew honey showed higher levels of certain physicochemical properties and antioxidant parameters, indicating better health benefits compared to blossom honey. The differentiation between honeydew and blossom origin of stingless bee honey is possible by analyzing specific physicochemical and antioxidant parameters through PCA.