CAPACIDADE ANTIOXIDANTE DOS MÉIS DE MELIPONA FASCICULATA SMITH COLETADOS NA REGIÃO DA AMAZÔNIA MARANHENSE

Abstract

The consumption of natural foods is a global trend. One of these natural products is bee honey. This is a complex food product composed of a concentrated sugar solution, with a predominance of glucose and fructose. Meliponiculture is an activity for cultivating honey from bees of the genus Melipona, or stingless bees. The bee of the species Melipona fasciculata Smith, popularly known as “Tiúba”, is considered a species native to the Baixada Maranhense. In this sense, knowing how to apply Tiúba honey is essential for strengthening the production chain and the development of new products based on honey from bees native to Maranhão. The objective of this work is to analyze the antioxidant capacity of Melipona fasciculata Smith honeys and correlate with physical-chemical parameters in samples collected in different locations in the Baixada Maranhense. Fourteen samples were collected in different municipalities in the State of Maranhão and evaluated for parameters: humidity (22.13% to 26.89%), pH (3.38 to 4.61), acidity (23.87mEq / kg to 33.03mEq / kg), Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) (25.75 mEq / kg to 80.41 mEq / kg), ash content (18 to 41%), reducing sugars (57.99 to 67.49%) and antioxidant activity (15.99% to 69.32%). Statistical studies pointed out that the strong positive correlation between ash contents and 2,2'-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) inhibition, indicates that the mineral contents present in the Tiúba honeys in the Baixada Maranhense region have an influence on the antioxidant capacity of such a natural product.