Physicochemical characterization of honeys from Brazilian monitored beehives

This study was performed with floral honeys from an innovator and pioneer project in Brazil for the digital monitoring of beehives. Samples from six regions of the Santa Catarina state were evaluated for moisture, acidity, pH, electrical conductivity, 5-HMF, diastase activity, fructose, glucose, sucrose, and minerals (K, Ca, Na, Mg, and Mn). Furthermore, chemometric analyzes were applied to classify honeys based on these parameters. Some results did not corroborate with the current legislation for free acidity (≤ 50 mEq kg−1) and electrical conductivity (≤ 0.8 mS cm−1). In all samples, the minerals K (0.37 × 103 to 3.03 × 103 mg kg−1) and Ca (0.03 × 103 to 0.38 × 103 mg kg−1) were majority. Considering that the results were different (p < 0.05) for all floral honey samples, cluster and principal components analysis (PCA) were performed to group samples by similarity. Cluster analysis provided a first separation of the honeys and PCA highlighted the K, Ca, Mg, and Na as the best contributors for honeys discrimination. In this regard, the physicochemical parameters, sugar, and mineral content were important to elucidate the characteristics of honeys. They indicated that the beehives handling and the hygienic-sanitary conditions during the collection and transport of samples were also adequate. Furthermore, mineral elements were proposed to discriminate honey samples produced in different regions of Santa Catarina state, Brazil.