Características físico-químicas de samburá de Melipona grandis (Apidae: Meliponina)

Abstract

Samburá is the pollen collected from flowers by stingless bees (ASF) and stored in pots of cerumen inside the colony, where it is naturally fermented by enzymes from bees and associated microorganisms. In Brazil, there is only a technical identity and quality regulation (RTIQ) for bee pollen, which generally does not meet some of the natural physicochemical characteristics of samburá, such as humidity and pH. The objective of this study was to analyze the physico-chemical characteristics of the samburá of the ASF Melipona grandis, in order to generate data that can contribute to the knowledge of the physico-chemical characteristics of the samburá of the different species of ASF and provide a basis for the elaboration of RTIQ aimed at to the samburá. The samburá was purchased from a private meliponary, located in the municipality of Iranduba - AM. The sample was analyzed on a wet basis and in triplicate. The physicochemical characteristics analyzed were: moisture, ash, lipids, proteins, total carbohydrates, total acidity and pH, according to official analytical methods for food analysis. Total carbohydrates were the predominant nutrients (34.9 ± 2.0 g/100g), followed by proteins, with an average of 23.90 ± 2.13 g/100g. The moisture found in the sample was 29.83 ± 0.40 g/100g, the lipid content was 9.11 ± 0.40 g/100g, the ash content was 1.65 ± 0.05 g/100g, Acidity 284.4 ± 13.4 g/100g and pH was 3.7 ± 0.1. The pH of Melipona grandis samburá was the only physicochemical characteristic that did not meet the requirements established in the Bee Pollen RTIQ, which establishes a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6. pH values lower than 4 are frequently reported for samburá, which It occurs due to the natural fermentation process that samburá goes through. The data generated in this study are unprecedented and can contribute to the establishment of a specific RTIQ for samburá.