Physicochemical and Microbiological Standards of Honey Produced by Genus Melipona

For thousands of years, honey from stingless bees, mainly from Melipona beecheii, has been recognized as part of traditional Mayan medicine in the Mesoamerican region. Currently Melipona honey is the subject of research due to its nutritional, therapeutic and commercial value. Studies have been conducted to characterize Melipona honey produced on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in, but the results have been limited. The low production and botanical-geographical origin of the honey increases the variability of the results and also the real number of Melipona beekeepers in the area is unknown so we are unable to conduct a statistically representative sampling and enough information to establish a generalization of the information. Therefore, we reviewed the published articles that describe the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the honey of some species of the genus Melipona. The information analyzed indicated that some of these characteristics are out of the specifications established by the standard that applies to Apis mellifera honey, without this meaning that it is of lesser quality and therefore. Because production and commercialization of this product is prospering, physicochemical and microbiological standards must be established to avoid adulteration and complications to public health, since this product is widely used for therapeutic purposes.

The effect of sugar concentration on yeast growth associated with floral nectar and honey

Background: Floral nectar and honey vary in sugar concentration, from low concentration in nectar to high concentration in honey. Variation in sugar concentration is a gradient that determines yeast growth and can lead to its ecological niche specialization. Objective: Evaluate the effect of a sugar concentration gradient on the growth kinetics and cell size of yeasts isolated from the floral nectar and honey of Melipona beecheii. Methods: Four strains identified as Metschnikowia koreensis and Sympodiomycopsis paphiopedili, isolated from floral nectar, and Starmerella apicola and Starmerella apicola 2, isolated from honey of Melipona beecheii were grown in artificial media with a gradient of 2, 10, 20, 40 and 60% glucose. We evaluated culture density (cells / µL), growth parameters, and cell size in each strain. Results and Conclusions: Strains isolated from honey had high growth rates at the highest glucose concentrations, while strains isolated from floral nectar grew best at low concentrations. Cell size decreased as glucose concentration increased in all strains. The data supports the hypothesis that sugar concentration gradient is an ecological filter that modifies the growth and morphology of yeasts associated with flowers and honey and leads to niche specialization in yeasts that colonize plant-bee environments.

Physicochemical characterization, antioxidant and antifungal activity of three stingless bee pollen aggregate (Apidae: Meliponini) from Soconusco, Chiapas

<p>La interacción planta-abeja puede generar productos de la colmena con diferentes características fisicoquímicas, bioactivos y actividad antimicrobiana. Por lo cual, en este trabajo se determinó la composición química de conglomerados o agregados de polen colectados de 12 colmenas establecidas en Chiapas, México, en los municipios Tapachula, Mazatán y Cacahoatán, dentro de tres meliponarios comerciales asociados a las especies: <em>Melipona beecheii</em>, <em>Scaptotrigona mexicana</em> y <em>Tetragonisca angustula</em>. Asimismo, se evaluó el efecto de los agregados de polen en <em>Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</em>. Se encontró una composición química muy diversa independientemente de la especie de abeja. El polen obtenido de colmenas con <em>M. beecheii</em> tuvieron la mayor cantidad de fenoles, flavonoides y acidez libre. Estas propiedades, en adición de la capacidad antioxidante (trolox), glucosa y pH, estuvieron asociados a la inhibición del crecimiento <em>in vitro</em> de<em> C. gloeosporioides</em>. La velocidad de crecimiento radial del hongo durante nueve días fue de 0.013 a 0.009 mm h-1 con extractos de polen, 44 % menor que el efecto del clorotalonil. La actividad antifúngica de los extractos de polen fue de 65 y 37 % para <em>M. beecheii</em>, 57 y 16 % para <em>T. angustula</em> y 60 y 30 % para S. mexicana, respecto al tratamiento testigo y a la dosis más alta de clorotalonil, respectivamente.</p>

La meliponicultura en la Reserva de la Biósfera de Los Petenes en la península de Yucatán, México. Una iniciativa decolonial

There have been multiple project initiatives in the Yucatan Peninsula aimed to rescue the melipona bee (Melipona beecheii). Through an ethnographic study in the Los Petenes biosphere reserve in Campeche, Mexico, the present study registered the revitalization of biocultural elements associated with the melipona. From a decolonial approach, the study concludes that this revitalization promotes cultural identity, and the defense of the territory, complementing conservation efforts. Finally, the study recommends the implementation of an instrument to evaluate the biocultural dimension, with the purpose of contributing to the conservation of protected natural areas.

Indicadores bioculturales en proyectos de gestión ambiental. El caso de la meliponicultura en Yucatán

El presente trabajo revela diferentes criterios y metodologías para el ejercicio de evaluación de proyectos de gestión ambiental. Aunado a la carencia de instrumentos de evaluación que incorporen indicadores de impacto de la dimensión biocultural, se constata la tendencia a privilegiar una valoración mercantilista de proyectos, incidiendo en la gestión ambiental. Con el apoyo teórico de la valoración relacional (relational values) y a través de la categorización de códigos emergentes de datos recabados a través de métodos etnográficos, el presente trabajo concluye con una propuesta para la aplicación de indicadores para conocer la incidencia en la dimensión biocultural en el caso de proyectos para el rescate de la meliponicultura, es decir, el cultivo de la abeja nativa comúnmente conocida como abeja melipona o Xunancab (en Maya) (Melipona beecheii), en la península de Yucatán.