Physico-chemical characterizations of honey from the Guinean zone of Togo

Abstract

In order to study the quality of the honeys consumed in the Guinean Zone of Togo for a better management of their production and their marketing, physico-chemical analyzes were carried out on 44 samples of honey including 21 bought from beekeepers themselves and 23 from traders at various points of sale in the study area such as pharmacies, shops, supermarkets and markets. These physicochemical characterizations took into account density, pH, water content, sugar content, electrical conductivity and speed of propagation of light. The results obtained for each of these parameters show that the sampled honeys meet on the whole international standards and their characterization will make it possible to obtain quality labels specific to Togo, and thereby those of Africa in general. The majority of honeys (78 to 93%) are of medium quality or medium conservation. In total, about 68% of the honeys analyzed are produced by bees from mixtures of nectar and honeydew. For each of the parameters studied, the highest values compared to the standards defined by the Codex Alimentarius were especially noted in the category of marketed honey.

 Keywords: Honey, Quality, Physico-chemical parameters, Palynology, Togo.