Characterization of honey of stingless bees from the Brazilian semi-arid region.

The physicochemical characteristics of honey vary according to bee species, climate, region, period of collection, processing and storage. In this context, this work aimed to perform a comparative study of the physicochemical characteristics of Melipona subnitida and M. fasciculata honey collected at different periods and regions of the State of Piauí, Brazil. Twenty-nine honey samples were collected and evaluated by principal component analysis from physicochemical analysis data. Twenty-two percent of the parameters analyzed differed between species. Evaluating the collection period, the honey of M. subnitida and M. fasciculata presented differences among themselves. The study revealed a similarity between the physicochemical parameters of the honey of the two species of bees, in addition, the time was one of the determining factors in the formation of clusters.