Comparative Analysis of Quality Parameters of Honey Collected from Domesticated and Wild Honeybee Species in District Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

Honey is a natural sweet substance produced by honeybees from the nectars of plant flowers and honeydew. This study has performed a comparative analysis of the physicochemical properties of honey collected from wild (Apis dorsata) and domesticated (Apis cerana) bee species from different areas of District Faisalabad, Pakistan. The quality of honey was evaluated for floral sources in the case of wild bees and sugar syrup in the case of domesticated bees. Our data reveal differences in the two honey groups regarding ash, minerals, and HMF content. The amount of minerals was recorded higher in A. dorsata than in A. cerana honey. Similarly, the amount of HMF was higher in the honey of A. dorsata than in A. cerana. The moisture content, pH, glucose, and glucose oxidase levels were similar in both honey types. This preliminary study is very useful for developing strategies for the quality analysis of honey, which ultimately promotes honey business entrepreneurship in the international market.