Evaluation of quality and safety of buckwheat honey in the western region of Ukraine

By definition, honey is a sweet substance of natural origin, which is processed by honey bees Apis mellifera from plant nectar or by secretion of plant parts or excretions of plant-sucking insects that bees collect. In turn, the quality of honey depends on the influence of a combination of factors. In most cases, the quality of honey and the intensity of its ripening depend on the botanical origin of the nectar, the strength of the bee colonies participating in the honey collection, and the duration of product storage. Therefore, the aim of the work was to study and analyze the factors that affect some of the quality indicators of buckwheat honey. The article, based on the conducted research, provides extended data on pollen and chemical analysis of honey. An analysis of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) pollen grains from Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi regions was conducted. The dynamics of the content of sucrose, proline, diastase, and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in buckwheat honey was studied. It was found that in buckwheat honey collected in these areas, quality indicators change during ripening. At the same time, the amount of sucrose, proline and diastase significantly decreases over 6 months. During storage, the content of GMP increases by 12 %. Based on the conducted studies, factors affecting the quality of buckwheat honey were analyzed. At the next stage, morphological indicators of the pharyngeal gland were studied when keeping bee colonies during the buckwheat flowering period. It was found that individuals grown during the buckwheat flowering period can fully invert nectar from this crop. The microstructure of the acini of the pharyngeal gland of honey bees that participate in nectar processing was studied. It was found that the maximum development indicators of the acini fall on the 9th day. It is during this period that enzymes that hydrolyze complex carbohydrates of nectar begin to accumulate in the vesicles. Vesicles of various sizes are present in the secretory cells. Histological studies have shown that the number of secretory cells in the acini depends on the development of the gland and ranges from 6 to 8 pcs. Moreover, the average length of secretory cells ranges from 69.33 to 81.21 microns, width 45.71–48.95 microns. The majority of the cell area is occupied by vesicles, which are filled with a protein secret.