Abstract

URENA VARELA, Maurico et al. Evaluación de la posible adulteración de mieles de abeja comerciales de origen costarricense al compararlas con mieles artesanales provenientes de apiarios específicos. ALAN [online]. 2007, vol.57, n.1, pp.63-69. ISSN 0004-0622.

Evaluation of the potential adulteration of commercial honey distributed in Costa Rica compared with artesanian honey samples coming from specific apiaries. Honey is the principal apiculture product, produced by Apis mellifera bee. This, as any other food product, has to accomplish certain quality standards, including physicochemical, organoleptic and microbiological properties. Within these parameters, different measures are considered as adulteration indicators, including hydroxymethylfurfural and diastase enzyme activity which are associated to overheating, and the sucrose, glucose and fructose content. In this study, a determination of previous parameters, additional to glucose, fructose and fructose/glucose index was performed to 35 artisan samples, obtained directly from beekeeper, previously characterized as having good productive practices and 25 commercial samples. Same time, the results obtained were compared and interpreted, in order to determine the kind of adulteration present in the honey sample. The 89% of artesian samples accomplished the parameters established by the Codex Alimentarius for HMF content, diastase activity, sucrose and simple sugars content. Nevertheless, only 20% (5) of the commercial samples accomplished the international and national normative. 24% of these samples presented succrose addition, 32% overheating or inverted sugar syrup addition, and 24% were adulterated with inverted sugar syrup.

Keywords : Miel; Apis mellifera; HMF; diastasa; adulteración; HPLC; azúcares.