Análise de atividade de água e umidade na qualidade do mel produzido em comunidades da reserva extrativista tapajós - arapiuns, santarém, pará

This work aimed to evaluate the water activity (Aw) and humidity in honey of Scaptotrigona sp. produced in three communities of the Tapajos - Arapiuns Extractive Reserve, Santarem / PA. It was used 9 samples of honeys, being 2 of the community of Solimoes, 4 of the community of Carao and 3 of the community of Ana. The samples were stored and refrigerated until the analyzes in triplicate and the SISVAR software was used for analysis of variance by Tukey's test (p <0.05). The results obtained for water activity varied from 0.68 to 0.77, the minimum corresponding to the community of Ana and the maximum the community of Solimoes. The limit for water activity in honey from stingless bees is between 0.52 and 0.80, so the Aw of the samples of the present work are within the limit allowed so that there is no deterioration and loss of honey quality. In relation to humidity, the averages are between 24,37 and 33,86, being the highest average of Solimoes and the lowest of Dwarf. Although there is no official parameter for meliponine honeys, some authors recommend maximum moisture of 35% for these honeys. Therefore, the moisture content obtained is within the recommended range, but needs further research to create specific legislation for bee honeys without sting, since it has different characteristics. KEYWORD: Deterioration, Microorganisms, Shelf.