Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry 2024 Volume 40, Issue 2, Pages: 141-153
https://doi.org/10.2298/BAH2402141M
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Determination of some quality parameters of honey bee feed
Matović Kazimir 
(Veterinary Specialized Institute Kraljevo, Kraljevo, Republic of Serbia), matovic@vsikv.com; kazimirmatovic@yahoo.com
Kaljević Vesna (Veterinary Specialized Institute Kraljevo, Kraljevo, Republic of Serbia)
Mihailović Ružica (Veterinary Specialized Institute Kraljevo, Kraljevo, Republic of Serbia)
Dmitrić Marko (Veterinary Specialized Institute Kraljevo, Kraljevo, Republic of Serbia)
Nedić Nebojša (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Belgrade-Zemun, Republic of Serbia)
Ćirić Jelena (Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia)
Jevtić Goran (Institute for Forage Crops, Globoder, Kruševac, Republic of Serbia)
Due to an increasing deficiency in feed for bees, beekeepers increasingly
tend to use commercial industrial sugar (sucrose) in the nutrition of bee
colonies. In the bees nutrition, sugar can be used as liquid sugar - syrup
(diluted in water in different ratios). In addition, sugar can be used to
make sugar dough (candy paste). Beekeepers often add enzymes or acids to
invert the sugars and speed up the process with additional heating. When the
bees are fed syrup that has not been overheated no serious problems arise.
But in a case when overheated or multiple heated syrups and the syrup
hydrolyzed/inverted by inorganic acids are used in the nutrition the
occurrence of hydroxymethylfurfural (5-hydroxymethyl-2-
furancarboxaldehyde-HMF) which can shorten a life span or cause bee
mortality. The purpose of this study is to determine concentrations of HMF,
reducing sugars, sucrose, free acids and pH value of solid and liquid feed
for bees in the samples of candy paste and syrup, with a particular focus on
HMF. During the 2012-2021 period in the laboratory of the Veterinary
Specialized Institute “Kraljevo” (VSI “Kraljevo”), in Kraljevo 42 samples of
candy paste, 23 samples of enzyme hydrolyzed sugar (syrup) and 6 samples of
acid and/or temperature inverted or diluted sugar (syrup) were analyzed. Out
of 68 food samples analyzed for the presence of HMF 8 samples (11.76%) were
positive for the presence of HMF in concentrations higher than 40 mg/kg.
Keywords: feed for bees, hydroxymethylfurfural, sugars, free acidity, pH
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