Sugar composition profiling of Indonesian stingless bee (Meliponini) honey from multiple geographical regions using HPLC-RID and multivariate analysis

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.21924/cst.11.1.2026.2001
Keywords:
Geographical differentiation, HPLC-RID, stingless bee honey, sugar composition, trehalulose

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Muhamad Saeful Anwar
Department of Chemistry, Universitas Nusa Bangsa, Bogor 16166, Indonesia; Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia
Ekrima Astari
Department of Earth System Science and Technology, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 816-0811, Japan
Nurlela
Department of Chemistry, Universitas Nusa Bangsa, Bogor 16166, Indonesia; Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredient and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Kawasan Sains dan Teknologi (KST) Soekarno, Cibinong 16911, Indonesia
Muhamad Sahlan
Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia; Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia; Department of Interdisciplinary Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia

Abstract

Stingless bee honey (Meliponini) has attracted attention due to its unique sugar composition, particularly trehalulose, a low-glycemic disaccharide with potential health benefits. This study investigated the sugar profiles of 23 stingless bee honey samples collected from East Java, Central Java, Bali, Belitung, and Jambi using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Refractive Index Detection (HPLC-RID). Fructose and glucose were the dominant sugars, while trehalulose concentrations varied markedly among regions. The highest fructose content was observed in Bali honey (47.09 g/100 g), whereas Belitung honey exhibited the highest trehalulose concentration (43.22 g/100 g). Jambi samples contained relatively higher sucrose levels. Dehumidification treatment reduced trehalulose concentration while increasing fructose and glucose contents. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed clear regional clustering patterns, explaining 83.3% of the total variance. Belitung honey samples were distinguished by exceptionally high trehalulose concentrations compared with samples from other regions. These findings provide a comparative overview of regional variation in sugar composition and trehalulose distribution in Indonesian stingless bee honey. The results contribute to the scientific database of Indonesian stingless bee honey and may support future efforts in quality control, honey characterization, and the development of high-value honey products.

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How to Cite
Muhamad Saeful Anwar, Ekrima Astari, Nurlela, & Sahlan, M. (2026). Sugar composition profiling of Indonesian stingless bee (Meliponini) honey from multiple geographical regions using HPLC-RID and multivariate analysis. Communications in Science and Technology, 11(1), 272–280. https://doi.org/10.21924/cst.11.1.2026.2001
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Vol. 11 No. 1 (2026)
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Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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