HETEROTRIGONA ITAMA (KELULUT) HONEY AND ITS POTENTIAL VALUE

Text Box:

Malaysia local stingless bee, Heterotrigona itama or renowned as Kelulut bee creates a path in scientific research due to its honey production. Its honey composed of active therapeutics properties like antioxidant, antimicrobial as well as tonnes of valuable physicochemical properties. These small size stingless bees are not only stress-free to handle but expedient as future commodity to Malaysia.

The quality of Kelulut honey is comparable to Manuka honey as therapeutic agents. Undeniably, it worth to have an intensive research upon the honey. A sweet sour of Kelulut honey with acidic pH (1-3) with low moisture content offers low risk of microbes’ contamination.

In addition, this foraging bees are active in gaining its food resources from floral rich area resources. The capacity of Heterotrigona itama to bring more honey from flower nectar is much higher compare to their other families’ member like Tetrigona apicalis and Tetragonula laeviceps.

Thus, the objective of the study is to analyze and incorporate more than hundreds journals upon the discovery on the physicochemical such as moisture content, ash content, pH, color intensity, electrical conductivity, phenolic content, flavonoid content and chemical composition of this honey were reviewed and found that proved that H. itama honey is good for human health especially for cancer patient due to its high phenolic content and beneficial physicochemical trace in the honey that linked to the antioxidants activity by reducing free radical or oxidative reaction within the food system.

Furthermore, due to their physicochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial, many people especially small medium businesses use Heterotrigona itama honey to produce cosmetic product such as soap. This review is also important to determine and acknowledge the quality of stingless bee honey which can guarantee the consumer’s safety and protect them against fraud.

Besides that, the biological complex properties of the stingless bee’s honey which includes sugar, phytochemical compound namely phenolic acid and flavonoid and other bioactive form such as amino acid and phenolic acid, protein and vitamin might play important role in influencing the signaling pathway of disease development. In the future, more review should be analyzed information on investigation of minerals and heavy metal in honeys as it indicates the geographical origin as well as degree of contamination. Such information could notify consumer when purchasing the honey and assist beekeepers avoiding contamination area. Furthermore, such information can sustain the quality control procedure during honey trade in the markets.

By,

Muhammad Luqman Bin Zainin

Best Presentation Award

CLUSTER: APPLIED SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS

Faculty of Engineering & Life Sciences

Undergraduate Symposium 2.0 2021

Mdm Noor Asiah Binti Hassan

Supervisor/ Lecturer

Life Sciences Department

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *