Comparison of the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of honeys produced by <i>Apis mellifera</i> and four stingless bee species from the miombo vegetation in Western Tanzania

The western Tanzanian miombo landscape has a high potential for honey production, but little is known about the distinctive properties of honey produced in this region. This study assessed the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of honey harvested from honey bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) and four stingless bee species (<i>Hypotrigona gribodoi</i>, <i>Hypotrigona ruspolii</i>, <i>Meliponula ferruginea</i> and <i>Plebeina armata</i>) in the dry miombo vegetation in western Tanzania. The results revealed substantial variations in honey properties among the studied bee species. Notably, the honey produced by <i>H. ruspolii</i> exhibited low moisture content comparable to that of <i>A. mellifera</i>, a characteristic that is rare in stingless bee honey. Honey samples from three stingless bee species had reducing sugars below the minimum limit of 50 g/100g specified in the East African standards. Stingless bee honey demonstrated significantly higher levels of total flavonoid content (32.04–55.04 mg QE/100 g), total phenolic content (58.00–100.18 mg GAE/100 g), ascorbic acid (11.93–18.17 mg/100 g), DPPH radical scavenging activity (45.57–66.22%) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (72.72–111.73 μmol Fe(II)/100g) compared to <i>A. mellifera</i> honey, which had values of 28.13 mg QE/100 g, 43.86 mg GAE/100 g, 9.60 mg/100 g, 39.19% and 65.62 μmol Fe(II)/100g, respectively. This suggests that stingless bee honey possesses a high antioxidant potential, indicating possible therapeutic applications. We recommend the establishment of quality standards that reflect the variations among stingless bee species and encourage future research into the unique bioactive compounds in stingless bee honey to maximize its therapeutic potential.