Evaluation of honey quality, safety and handler behaviour in Lira and Bushenyi Districts, Uganda.

Abstract

Honey is a high-value product with nutritional, medicinal and economic importance. Though produced safely, honey is susceptible to contamination through environmental pollutants, poor handling and adulteration. This makes it unsafe for human consumption and limits its competitiveness on the premium regional and global markets. It further weakens consumer confidence in honey products which erodes economic prospects of Uganda’s apiculture sector. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of honey handlers, the physicochemical quality, microbiological safety and presence of pesticide residues of certified and uncertified honey from Bushenyi and Lira districts of Uganda. Results indicated limited knowledge of technical and regulatory requirements such as national standards and certification (30.0% in Bushenyi and 43.8% in Lira districts). However, there were positive attitudes towards honey safety and quality, few handlers admitted to adding extraneous substances to honey for profitability (10.6 % in Bushenyi and 16.8 % in Lira). Most respondents (>85%) adhere to basic hygiene by using clean equipment and do not agree to heating honey as a processing step. Physicochemical parameters varied by certification and district. The ash content ranged between 0.01 and 0.03%, the moisture content in all the samples was below the Codex limit (20%) except the non-certified Lira samples (21.77±1.16%). In both districts, certified honeys showed a significantly higher (p<0.05) HMF (15.30 – 15.97 mg/kg) than non-certified (1.00 – 2.17 mg.kg) with low diastase activity (1.20 – 1.76 SU). Microbiological results revealed significantly higher (p<0.05) total plate counts in both certified and non-certified honey from Bushenyi (295.50 – 401.44 cfu/g) than the honey from Lira (20.00 – 42.00 cfu/g). Majority of the honey samples from both districts did not contain Clostridium spp., Escherichia coli¸ yeasts and moulds and coliforms except non-certified honey which had very low counts of yeasts and moulds and coliforms (1.8 – 5.6 cfu/g) indicating minimal contamination. All microbiological results were within the allowable limits as per UNBS and Codex Alimentarius standards confirming the antimicrobial properties of honey. No pesticide residues were detected in any sample indicating that the honey is safe from these chemical contaminants. While the handlers had positive attitudes, their knowledge of regulatory requirements and certification processes was limited. Honey produced in Lira and Bushenyi districts is safe since it meets both the microbiological and pesticide maximum residue limits. However, its quality could be compromised given the high moisture content in Lira non-certified honey and the very low diastase number. The findings of this study demonstrate that while honey handlers exhibited generally positive attitudes towards honey quality and safety, their knowledge of regulatory requirements and particularly certification remained limited. I therefore emphasize the need for awareness campaigns on standards and good handling procedures that is regular and practical covering areas including the importance of UNBS/Codex requirements as well as certification procedures.