This study aimed to physicochemically characterize the honey samples of Apis mellifera collected in Santa Helena and Terra Roxa counties, located in the western region of Paraná State, Brazil. Forty honey samples were collected, 20 in Santa Helena and 20 in Terra Roxa (PR) counties, directly from beekeepers, and were subjected to physico-chemical analyzes of moisture, acidity, pH, ashes, electrical conductivity and color, to verify whether they were in accordance with the existing national legislation (Instruction No. 11), in addition to knowing the physicochemical profile of different sites during the 2008/2009 season. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and F test at 5% significance level. The results showed significant differences (P<0.05) between values of acidity, and the honey samples from Terra Roxa presented a higher value (33.45±7.7 meq.kg-1) than Santa Helena (24 = 53±6.3 meq.kg-1). Most of the analyzed samples were within the specifications prescribed in the legislation for the physico-chemical parameters except for moisture, which despite having presented a significant difference between values obtained from two counties, were above the limits established by the legislation (20%) in eight samples in Santa Helena and seven in Terra Roxa counties, totaling 37.5%. This characteristic may have made the product more susceptible to fermentation, and may have been caused by harvesting immature honey.
beekeeping; Apis mellifera; honey composition