Determination of the Physicochemical Properties of Honey from Suba Region, Homa Bay County-Kenya
Loading...
Date
2023
Authors
Ondogo, Linet Kwamboka
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
kenyatta university
Abstract
Honey is a naturally sweet substance produced by honeybees from plant flowers' nectar and honeydew. Examining the physicochemical properties of honey is crucial for assessing its quality. The primary economic activities in Homa Bay County Suba Region, Suba South Sub-County, Gwassi North, and Gwassi South divisions are subsistence farming and fishing. The divisions of Gwassi North and Gwassi South have lately embraced commercial apiculture as a new economic enterprise. The physical and chemical characteristics of this honey were examined to assess its quality, determining whether it meets both local and global honey standards. To enable farmers to process and increase the value of their honey, plans are being made to build a facility that would process honey. This study aimed at evaluating the physicochemical properties of honey to determine its compliance with international honey standards. The famous bee, Apis mellifera, was the only kind of honeybee studied. The Gwassi North and Gwassi South divisions' four regions, Nyandiwa (Western), Tonga (Northern), Magunga (Eastern), and Nyancha (Central), were the sampled regions of the study's forty honey samples. To achieve its objectives, the study used an experimental technique. The Codex Alimentarius Commission's defined methods were used to analyze each property. A pH meter, UV-visible spectrophotometer, and HPLC instruments were used to measure the pH, free acidity, HMF content, proline content, fructose content, glucose content, and sucrose content of the honey, respectively. Utilizing an Abbe refractometer, a conductivity meter, an oven, and density bottles respectively, the following parameters were assessed: moisture content, refractive index, electrical conductivity, ash content, and density. The levels of mineral elements were assessed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) for sodium (Na) and potassium (K), while calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe) were measured using a flame photometer. An analysis of variance was used in the statistical analysis, which was performed using SPSS version 21. The investigation's results showed that the physical and chemical properties had the following mean values for the honey sample: pH = 4.01± 0.03, free acidity = 35.83±0.45 mEq/kg, HMF = 19.95±1.76 mg/kg, proline = 629.77±9.80 mg/kg, sum of glucose and fructose = 68.37±0.51%, moisture content = 21.53±0.13%, refractive index = 1.4745±0.0083, ash content = 0.55±0.01, electrical conductivity = 0.54±0.01 and density was 1.41±0.02g/cm3. According to the mineral study of the honey samples, manganese was the least common mineral and potassium was the most common. The concentration increased in the order Mn < Zn < Fe < Ca < mg < Na <K. The Codex Alimentarius Commission's standards were met by these mean values. Although somewhat over the permissible threshold of 21%, the mean moisture content value of 21.53% nevertheless shows that 2.5% of the honey samples are susceptible to yeast fermentation during storage. The results of this study show that honey from the Suba region satisfies the physicochemical standards of the Codex Alimentarius Honey Standards. This study suggests that beekeeping can be a profitable economic endeavor in the Suba region, encompassing Suba South Sub-County, Gwassi North, and Gwassi South divisions in Homa Bay County. The data collected in this study can facilitate the marketing of honey in both local and international markets, as the product meets the anticipated quality standards.
Description
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science in Applied Analytical Chemistry in the School of Pure and Applied Sciences of Kenyatta University
Keywords
Physicochemical, Honey, Suba Region, Homa Bay County, Kenya