The Application of Clay Pot for Moisture Reduction of Geniotrigona thoracica Stingless Bee Honey

Abstract

Geniotrigona thoracica (G. thoracica) stingless bee honey contained high moisture that can easily lead to fermentation process. The high moisture content of stingless bee honey could lead to unwanted fermentation and crystallization form. Hence, it will affect the quality of honey in terms of acidic taste and undesirable appearance. To make sure stingless bee honey meets the standard set by IHC, some methods have been carried out to reduce its moisture content. This study investigates the moisture reduction during storage of G. thoracica stingless bee honey in a clay pot. The G. thoracica honeys were stored in clay pot with the inner volume of 75.4cm 3 and glass bottle (as control) at 25˚C for 21 days. Physicochemical analysis of honey such as moisture content, total soluble solid, water activity, viscosity, pH, free acidity, electrical conductivity, colour (L*, a* and b*) and colour intensity were investigated during storage. The result obtained indicated that the honey stored in a clay pot was significantly reduced the moisture content from 28.03% to 16.51%. The water activity (a w ) of honey in a clay pot was also reduced from 0.779 to 0.601. The free acidity of honey stored in a glass bottle increased significantly compared to honey stored in a clay pot, which was initially 106.7meq/kg to 146.3meq/kg and 121.7meq/kg, respectively. In conclusion, the application of clay pot as a storage medium was capable to reduce water content and preserved the quality of honey from G. thoracica.