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Quality of Meliponinae honey: Pesticides residues, pollen identity, and microbiological profiles
Author(s) -
Rodrigues Carina da Silva,
Ferasso Debora Cristina,
Prestes Osmar Damian,
Zanella Renato,
Grando Remili Cristiani,
Treichel Helen,
Coelho Geraldo Ceni,
Mossi Altemir José
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
environmental quality management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.249
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1520-6483
pISSN - 1088-1913
DOI - 10.1002/tqem.21547
Subject(s) - pesticide , food science , pesticide residue , contamination , pollen , biology , toxicology , chemistry , botany , agronomy , ecology
This study aims at evaluating the quality of honey of Melipona quadrifasciata quadrifasciata Tetragonisca angustula and Scaptotrigona depilis . Pollen analysis was performed to identify the floral resources used for the production of honey, and 19 pollen types were identified. Microbiological analyses identified the presence of coliforms, molds, and yeasts, but Clostridium botulinum was not found. Using the modified “Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe” method followed by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry determination, eight pesticides were detected in the honey of T. angustula and only two in the honey from S. depilis . The honey of M. q. quadrifasciata did not present pesticide residues. The data pointed out the relevance of good practices to avoid the contamination of honey with sources of microbiological contaminants, which may impair the product's safety for human consumption.