Melissopalynology: Bee Flora, Pollen and Honey presents a comprehensive guide to the floral biology of honeybee plants. Critical for developing optimal management techniques for honey bee habitats, as well as for the growth and sustainability of the honey economy, this information is key to addressing the problem of predicting resource availability. In addition, it enables successful apiarist planning for effective hive placements and capacity, and provides crucial baseline data to direct habitat and biodiversity management. The book is globally relevant, presenting updates on the characteristics, composition, health properties, contamination, authenticity, and adulteration of honey at the worldwide level, regardless of region. The 100+ bee flora and pollen field notes and photographic atlas sections examine species found in multiple regions throughout the world. Honey has become a highly demanded product for consumers worldwide due to its taste and rich nutritional and medicinal value. However, it remains challenging to identify honey's origin as well as determine its authenticity. This book summarizes the research and practices carried out in the last decade toward discriminating honey by using characteristic markers. - Contains photographic representations of bee flora and pollen - Provides a comprehensive bee flora pollen inventory for the correct identification of species - Includes botanical source information and guides in the quality production of honey

Analyses were made to compare different techniques of pollen extraction and to investigate the pollen contents of East Texas honey. A new alcohol technique for diluting honey is described, and pollen recovery of honey samples diluted with water and alcohol using different centrifugation times was examined. Pollen concentrations of alcohol-diluted samples were significantly higher than those of water-diluted samples. There was no significant difference in the number of pollen taxa recovered between the water long spin technique, and the alcohol technique, however, there was a significant difference between pollen recovery of the water short spin technique versus the alcohol technique. Five samples were compared using the alcohol dilution technique to a new filter technique. No significant difference was found in pollen recovery or concentration values between the two techniques. Pollen counts of 400 or 500 pollen grains yielded significantly more taxa than lesser counts. Taxa in frequency classes remained constant for most pollen types between 200 and 500 grain counts. Variation among five different drops of the same sample was investigated using 200, 300, 400, and 500 pollen grain counts. No significant differences were found in pollen concentration, but each successively higher count had significantly more taxa. Pollen was analyzed from 36 East Texas honeys samples. A total of 431 pollen types (including unknowns) were found. Half of the samples contained between 31-40 pollen types, indicating a diverse botanical flora. Native flora contributed more to East Texas honey than did horticulturalized taxa. All samples, except two, were classified as mixed floral honeys. Berchemia scandens, Salix nigra, and Toxicodendron radicans were found in more than 80% of the East Texas honey samples. Honeys from the northern regions of East Texas are characterized by Berchemia scandens, Ceanothus americanus, Nyssa sylvatica, Rhamnus caroliniana, Salix nigra, and three unknowns. The southern regions are characterized by Mimosa strigillosa, Berchemia scandens, Poaceae, and four unknowns. In general, East Texas honeys are characterized by a combination of Berchemia scandens, unknown 236, Rhamnus caroliniana, and Salix nigra. The most important honey bee floral resources in East Texas appear to be Rhamnaceae, especially Berchemia scandens.

This book covers pot-pollen—the other product, besides honey, stored in cerumen pots by Meliponini. Critical assessment is given of stingless bee and pot-pollen biodiversity in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Topics addressed include historical biogeography, cultural knowledge, bee foraging behavior, pollination, ecological interactions, health applications, microbiology, the natural history of bee nests, and chemical, bioactive and individual plant components in stored pollen. Pot-pollen maintains the livelihoods of stingless bees and provides many interesting biological products that are just now beginning to be understood. The Meliponini have developed particular nesting biologies, uses of building materials, and an architecture for pollen storage. Environmental windows provide optimal temperature and availability of pollen sources for success in plant pollination and pollen storage. Palynological composition and pollen taxonomy are used to assess stingless honey bee pollination services. Pollen processing with microorganisms in the nest modifies chemical composition and bioactivity, and confers nutraceutical benefits to the honey and pollen widely relished by native people. Humans have always used stingless bees. Yet, sustainable meliponiculture (stingless bee-keeping) projects have so far lacked a treatise on pot-pollen, which experts provide in this transdisciplinary, groundbreaking volume.

Advanced Techniques of Honey Analysis: Characterization, Authentication, and Adulteration presents an overview of honey - its classification, composition, safety, present status, quality issues and prospects - before delving into honey adulteration and presenting various methodologies for honey analysis. Broken into fourteen chapters, this book explores physiochemical, bioactive compound, aroma, microbial, thermal, and rheological analysis of honey. It also considers infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and Raman spectroscopy methods. High-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and GC-MS methods are also highlighted. Written for food scientists and those working in honey industries and related fields, this book will be a welcomed resource for all who wish to play a role in mitigating honey fraud. - Contains comprehensive information on novel honey analytical techniques - Discusses the characterization of determination of honey adulteration by various novel methods - Sheds light on Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in honey analysis - Includes applications, literature reviews, recent developments, and methods

Palynology finds applications in various fields. Some of them are taxonomy, plant evolution, plant breeding programmes, biotechnology, microbiology of water, soil and air, the pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic industry, energy food industry, forensic science, aerobiology, allergy, epidemiology, meteorology, fossil fuel exploration and biodiversity.

"This is a practical book, designed both for small-scale beekeepers and for those engaged in the honey industry, to explain the principles that can be applied to determine a honey's origin." -- Preface.