G. P. Chekryga, K. N. Nitsievskaya, E. V. Borodai
Siberian Federal Research Center of Agricultural Biotechnology of the RAS, pos. Krasnoobsk, Novosibirskii r-n, Novosibirskaya obl., 630501, Russian Federation
Abstract. The study aimed to develop a new method for determining the botanical origin of honey. The results of the experiments on the assessment of honey quality according to the standard method (GOST 31769-2012) varied significantly. It was impossible to conclude the botanical origin of honey by the frequency of pollen grains. The proposed method is based on the use of a natural drop of honey with a temperature of not more than 30 C ± 1 C. Its volume depended on its moisture content and surface tension. The pollen grains present in the drop did not undergo any pretreatment; therefore, they were in their natural state, including the spatial arrangement. To demonstrate the possibility of determining the botanical origin of honey by the frequency of pollen grains, a sample was taken from an apiary in Pokrovskoye hole in the Altai Krai. The morphological features of the pollen grains were studied under a microscope at a magnification of 400. Their number was calculated at a magnification of 100. The number of pollen grains of each type was evaluated in 10 fields of view in 5 drops of the test sample. After that, we calculated an arithmetic average for 50 values and the frequency of each identified type of pollen grains. Multifold repetition (50) allowed for statistically accurate determination of the weighted average number of identified morphotypes of pollen grains with minimal error. For the test sample, angelica was the main honey plant. The error of the proposed method did not exceed 1%. The method was characterized by accessibility, simplicity, and reproducibility of the results.
Keywords: pollen grains; botanical origin; honey; angelica.
Author Details: G. P. Chekryga, Cand. Sc. (Biol.), leading research fellow; K. N. Nitsievskaya, Cand. Sc. (Tech.), leading research fellow (e-mail: Этот адрес электронной почты защищён от спам-ботов. У вас должен быть включен JavaScript для просмотра.); E. V. Borodai, leading research fellow.
For citation: Chekryga G. P., Nitsievskaya K. N., Borodai E. V. A New Method for Determining the Botanical Origin of Honey. Dostizheniya nauki i tekhniki APK. 2019. Vol. 33. No. 10. Pp. 90–92 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.24411/0235-2451-2019-11020.