Results
The physicochemical properties of stingless bee honey collected from
Chantaburi and Trat provinces were similar, except the ash,
conductivity, HMF and Zn contents (Table 1). However, all parameters
were acceptable according to the international standards (Codex
Alimentarius, 2001). The moisture contents of stingless bee honey
collected from Chantaburi and Trat province were 27.46 ± 0.23 g/100 g
and 26.50 ± 0.24 g/100 g, respectively.The moisture contents were
considerably high when compared to honey from Apis mellifera.
Ash and conductivity contents in honey samples collected from
Chantaburi were significantly higher than those of Trat province. The
two parameters generally indicate the mineral contents that could be
affected by different geographical origin of honey and possible
environmental contamination. When HMF contents were measured,approximately 1-6 mg/kg. Nickel and Co ranged from 6-47 mg/kg.
Copper was less variable, with an average value of around 0.2 mg/kg.
All of the samples have similar Pb contents, with average values of
23 ± 7 and 22.1 ± 0.5 mg/kg for Trat and Chantaburi samples,
respectively. Cadmium was detected in minimal amounts, with an
average value of less than 3 mg/kg.