350 Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 36, No. 3, July-September, 350-353, 2013 Physical, chemical and organoleptic characterization of Melipona beecheii honey collected in agroforestry systems Leydi Fonte¹, Maykelis Díaz¹, R. Machado¹, J. Demedio², A. García 3 y D. Blanco¹ ¹Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes “Indio Hatuey”, Universidad de Matanzas “Camilo Cienfuegos”, Ministerio de Educación Superior Central España Republicana, CP 44280, Matanzas, Cuba E-mail: leydis.fonte@ihatuey.cu 2 Universidad Agraria de La Habana, Mayabeque, Cuba 3 Universidad de Matanzas “Camilo Cienfuegos”, Cuba AbstrAct The research was conducted at the Pastures and Forages Research Station “Indio Hatuey” in order to determine the organoleptic, physical and chemical characteristics of the honey produced by Melipona beecheii. For the extraction and packaging of the honey; sterile syringes and dry sterilized fasks, properly labeled, were used. After that, in the samples, where the presence of pollen grains from Gliricidia sepium was detected, a sensorial, physical and chemical analysis was conducted based on the following indicators: aspect, color, smell, taste, texture, humidity (g/100 g), free acidity (meq/100 g), pH and soluble solids (g/100 g = %). Moreover, the content of different sugars in the honey was determined through a HPLC analysis. The pH values were around 3,6, the free acidity was 35,0 meq/100 g, and humidity, 24 %. On the other hand, the sensorial analysis was in agreement with the quality specifcations recommended in the Cuban Quality Norm, because the honey did not show any unpleasant taste, smell or color. It is concluded that the M. Beecheii honey showed excellent quality, because it did not undergo any apparent degradation process; that is why it can be considered as fresh honey, which constitutes a key requisite for any feedstuff destined to human consumption. Key words: agroforestry system, honey, Melipona beecheii IntroductIon According to Heard (1999), the potential of stingless bees (Melipona beecheii) in agroforestry systems, lies principally on their function as pollinators, although the honey obtained from the bees which visit shrubby legumes can be considered as an added value of such systems. Among the most visited legumes is Gliricidia sepium, from which, excellent-quality honey is obtained. It is also known that this fodder plant stands out for some prominent attributes, such as: the production of high quality and digestibility foliage, as well as their ability to form balanced associations with grasses, with the subsequent increase of dry matter production in the associated pastures –thus achieving a higher stocking rate–. It also improves soil fertility, through the atmospheric nitrogen fxation. It can be used as green manure, for wood and frewood production and to provide shade for crops and animals (Pezo, Romero and Kass, 1993; Elevitch and Francis, 2006), for which it becomes an outstanding alternative for these purposes and for honey production. Grajales et al. (2001) indicated that the Mexican aboriginal civilizations used the stingless bee honey with commercial, ritual and medicinal purposes; however, they indicated that just a few scientifc studies have been conducted. These authors determined, in samples of M. beecheii honey that the pH values were approximately 4,5, the acidity values, 28 meq/kg; humidity, 24 %; and electric conductivity, 0,551 mS/cm; while the HMF was 64,79 mg/kg. As there is not a norm for the stingless bee honey, these authors took as reference the indicators established for the Apis mellifera honey. The honey of stingless bees, in addition to its important feeding characteristics, is widely used in traditional medicine practices in Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Guatemala. In these countries it has been used to treat ocular diseases such as conjunctivitis, eye pterygium and cataract; and to treat the ones related to respiratory