Quantitative physical variations in ripening of honey of indigenous hive bee apis cerana indica.

Physical factors of refractive index, optical density, viscosity and surface tension demonstrated quantitative change throughout five stages of honey ripening process in indigenous hive honeybee Apis cerana indica. The five stages of nectar to honey transformations include floral nectar (fn), honey crop of foragers (hf), honey crop of house bees (hh), unsealed honey cells (uh) and sealed honey cells (sh). All the four physical factors gradually augmented through successive stages of honey ripening phenomena. The refractive index of floral nectaries and sealed honey cells was 1.23 and 1.49 respectively. Similarly, the optical density of house bees and unsealed honey cells was 0.39 and 0.54 respectively. Viscosity and surface tension of honey crop of foragers and sealed honey cells were 0.15 poise, 0.76 dynes/cms. and 76.65 poise, 102.01 dynes/cms. respectively. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of viscosity and surface tension in honey formation was significant at P<0.01% levels and refractive index and optical density of honey in ripening process was not significant at P<0.01% levels.

Quantitative chemical variations in ripening of honey of indigenous hive bee apis cerana indica.

Chemical characteristics of TRS, NRS, ash, acidity and pH were detected in five stages of honey ripening process of indigenous hive honeybee Apis cerana indica. Five stages of nectar to honey transformation comprise floral nectar (fn), honey crop of foragers (hf), honey crop of house bees (hh), unsealed honey cells (uh) and sealed honey cells (sh). The TRS of fn and sh cells was 2.12% and 73.01% respectively. Correspondingly NRS of hh and uh cells was 14.90% and 7.50%. The ash content of hf and sh cells was 0.20% and 1.49% respectively, whereas the acidity of sh cells and hf was 0.503 and 0.06 respectively. Similarly pH of hh and uh cells had a value of 1.03 and 2.61. All the five parameters viz., TRS, NRS, ash, acidity and pH tested apart from NRS were less in floral nectaries and maximum in sealed honey cells. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of TRS of ripening of honey was significant at P<0.01% levels, while NRS, ash, acidity and pH in honey formation was not significant at P<0.01% levels.