Preference Level Of Bees Apis Mellifera L. To The Supplementary Feed Of Mixed Syrup And Paliasa Leaf Decoction And Physico-Chemical Characteristics Of Produced Honey

Abstract: Supplementary feeding mixed with paliasa leaves (Kleinhovia hospita Linn.) to the honeybees Apis mellifera L. is expected to produce honey, which have properties of paliasa naturally. Four colonies of honeybees were fed a mixture of syrup and paliasa leaf decoction with four different concentrations, one for each colony, to produce honey essence of paliasa (HEP). In general the bees liked the given supplementary feed. Differences in color and aroma of HEP did not depend on the amount of feed consumed but were influenced by the concentration of paliasa in the supplementary feed given. The higher concentration of paliasa resulting in HEP with the darker color, the more real aroma of paliasa, and the more viscous consistency. The HEP had a sweet and sour sweet taste with pH between 4.90 and 5.15 and water content between 19.51 and 21.67%. The qualitative analysis showed that the HEP produced by bees fed without paliasa gave only positive reactions for alkaloids, while the HEP produced by bees fed with paliasa gave positive results for alkaloids, polyphenols and flavonoids. This indicated that the chemical components of paliasa were transformed by the bees into the HEP. The higher concentration of paliasa the higher level of total polyphenols and total flavonoids of HEP with the amount of total polyphenol contents was greater than the total flavonoid contents