Pollen diversity of honeys marketed in the Guinean zone of Togo

Abstract

In order to determine pollen diversity of different honey samples produced and marketed in the Guinean zone of Togo, pollen analyses were carried out on 44 honey samples purchased randomly from beekeepers themselves (EMA) and from traders (EMC) at different points of sale in the study area such as pharmacies, shops, supermarkets and markets. The pollen analyses carried out made it possible to count 357,145 pollen grains grouped into 262 pollen taxa, of which 225 could be determined down to the species level, or approximately 85.9% of the total. These taxa are grouped into 198 genera belonging to 76 families. The most represented families in terms of taxa are Euphorbiaceae and Leguminosae. According to established pollen spectra, pollen richness varies from 260 to 50,609 pollen grains per sample with an average of 8,117 while taxonomic richness varies from 20 to 80 taxa. Overall, the lowest values are found in the category of honey samples collected from beekeepers (EMA) while the highest are in that of honey samples purchased from traders (EMC).

Keywords: Honey, Pollen, Analysis, Diversity, Flora, Togo