Profiling pH and moisture content of stingless bee honey in closed and opened cerumen honey pots

Abstract

The aim of this study is to profile the pH and moisture content of stingless bee honey in closed and opened cerumen honey pots from a single hive of stingless bee. The evaluation was conducted in February and September 2020. Portable pH meter and refractometer were used to measure on-field data of honey pH and moisture content. On-field data measurement revealed that the average pH for closed pots was 3.43 while 3.62 for opened pots. Honey measured in September was found to have higher of moisture content with mean value of 32% compared to honey measured in February with 25%. High moisture content is a worrisome problem because it will accelerate quality deterioration of stingless bee honey which mostly contributed by fermentation process. Low pH value also influences the consumer preference as the taste of honey will be more sour. So, this study suggests that wetter season in September could give rise to the moisture content of honey due to higher humidity of surrounding contrarily from dry season in February and could affect the quality of stingless bee honey.