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Canudo-de-pito (Escallonia sp.) honey: a comprehensive analysis of quality, composition, and pollen identification

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Abstract

Canudo-de-pito honey (CPH) is produced by Apis mellifera bees using nectar from Escallonia plant species located in Santa Catarina’s plateau mountain region, Brazil. Despite the international recognition of its quality and great potential for market appreciation, the composition and quality of CPH remain unexploited. They could potentially contribute to further research and advancements in honey authentication processes. In this preliminary study, we investigate the pollen profile, quality parameters, color, minerals, and phenolic compounds of CPH samples. The frequency of pollen from different plant species was observed in CPH, in which four were described as monofloral (> 45%), and five showed a significant contribution of canudo-de-pito pollen (> 30%). The dominant color was light amber, and the quality parameters agreed with the international standards except for electrical conductivity (0.88–1.33 mS/cm) due to high concentrations of minerals, mainly potassium (1913.75–3022.34 mg/kg) when compared to floral honey. The main compounds quantified were the phenolic acids (abscisic, salicylic, and syringic) (6.54–75.61 μg/g). These results provided helpful knowledge about CPH composition, demonstrating its quality and peculiar characteristics.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina (EPAGRI, Brazil) and the beekeepers for generously providing the honey samples. Special thanks are extended to EPAGRI researchers Dr. Denilson Dortzbach and Valci Vieira for assistance in creating the location map of the honey samples.

Funding

This research was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES, Brazil) [grant number 001]. The following authors have received research support from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq): SKTS [Grant number 150915/2022–5], MS [Grant number 165753/2020–0], BS [Grant number 150743/2023–8], CFPL [Grant number 307607/2022–4], and ACOC [grant number 309702/2022–4].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Highway Admar Gonzaga, 1346, Itacorubi, Florianópolis, SC, 88034-000, Brazil

    Ana Clara Nascimento Antunes, Victor Valentim Gomes, Siluana Katia Tischer Seraglio, Mayara Schulz, Bibiana Silva, Luciano Valdemiro Gonzaga, Roseane Fett & Ana Carolina Oliveira Costa

  2. Laboratory of Palynology PALINO-IPA, Biodiversity Conservation Nucleous, Environmental Research Institute of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 04301-902, Brazil

    Cynthia Fernandes Pinto da Luz & Aline Lemos de Moraes

  3. Secretary of State for Agriculture and Livestock of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88034-901, Brazil

    Mara Rúbia Romeu Pinto Müller

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  1. Ana Clara Nascimento Antunes
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Contributions

ACNA: conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, writing—riginal draft preparation, writing—reviewing and editing. VVG: investigation, writing—reviewing and editing. SKTS: investigation, writing—reviewing and editing. MS: investigation, writing—reviewing and editing. BS: investigation, writing—reviewing and editing. CFPdL: formal analysis, investigation, writing—reviewing and editing. ALd: formal analysis, investigation. MRRPM: conceptualization. LVG: conceptualization, supervision, writing—reviewing and editing. RF: funding acquisition. ACOC: conceptualization, supervision, writing—reviewing and editing, funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Ana Clara Nascimento Antunes or Ana Carolina Oliveira Costa.

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Antunes, A.C.N., Gomes, V.V., Seraglio, S.K.T. et al. Canudo-de-pito (Escallonia sp.) honey: a comprehensive analysis of quality, composition, and pollen identification. Eur Food Res Technol 250, 1239–1251 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-023-04459-8

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