Comparative Analysis of the Proximate and Nutritional Compositions of Nigerian Bitter and Sweet Honey from Apis mellifera

Abstract

Honey, a natural product of the genus Apis, usually contains a variety of nutritional and mineral substances which varies depending on the plant species on which the bee forage. It had been noted that over the years, there have been a greater increase in the demand of bitter honey over the sweet honey; this has led to increase in price of this honey type and more gain for the apiculturists. This study was then undertaken to compared the nutritional and mineral compositions of Nigeria bitter and sweet honey. The honey samples used were collected from ADEKAM apicultural farm in Ala community, Akure, Ondo State and analysed following Standards Association of Official Analytical Chemists protocol for nutritional composition and mineral compositions using standard calibrated machines. Analysis of the results obtained showed that the two honey samples were significantly different (p<0.05), both in nutritional and mineral compositions. The bitter honey samples were richer in protein (0.74±0.04) and carbohydrate (77.86±0.84) composition required by human body for growth. However, significant (p<0.05) slight higher values of all the minerals composition (Na, K, Ca, Fe, P and Mg) was recorded in sweet honey samples, with Potassium (K) being the most abundant of all as earlier reported by previous authors. It can be concluded that although both types of honey are rich in nutritional and mineral elements. However, they are slightly different from each other, not only in taste, but also in some of the parameters studied. Therefore, further study is recommended to be undertaken to ascertain the types and quantities of amino acids and as well as the simple sugars in them.