This work was carried out in collaboration between the authors. Author FA designed the study, performed laboratory and statistical analyses, wrote the protocol and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Author POA procured the cassava varieties and performed the proximate analysis in the laboratory. Authors KSA, YAA, TOA, SOF, NOO, UDA, TAK and GGD performed sample collection and laboratory analyses of the study. Author OF contributed to the development of protocol and provided technical support. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Honey is a popular product consumed for its health benefits. It is an effective antimicrobial an antioxidant agent. Globally, palynological and chemical methods are among the means of authenticating honey quality, geographical origin and floral origin. Six honey samples from six Nigerian towns (Abi, Ikom, Lokpanta, Nsukka, Okigwe and Shaki) were subjected to the aforementioned tests. Eighty-six pollen taxa were recorded in all the samples. The richest sample with seventy-three taxa was from Nsukka, followed successively by Okigwe, Lokpanta, Shaki, Ikom and Abi samples with sixty-eight, sixty-seven, sixty-two, fifty-nine and fifty-seven pollen species respectively. The oil palm Elaeis guineensis pollen dominated the samples in different proportions except Shaki honey dominated by Acacia spp., The commonest plant family was Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae, Mimosoideae, Papilionideae) with twenty-one taxa followed by Euphorbiaceae, Combretaceae, with four representatives and Rubiaceae with three taxa each. The physico-chemical analysis carried out were total moisture, total ash content, colour assessment, percentage of total solids, relative density, acidity, and Fischer’s Test. The samples were found to concur with the international standards for honey.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.