Authentication of Apis Cerana and Apis Mellifera Derived Honey Using Major Royal Jelly Protein 2 Gene and Spectroscopy

Honey, as a natural health product, encounter great compositional influence by its entomological, botanical and geographical origin. In Bangladesh, apiculture relies on the honey production by mostly the European honeybee, Apis mellifera. However, the Asian honeybee Apis cerana honey typically costs three times as much as honey from A. mellifera in honey market due to the production limit, variation in nutrient composition, being prone to adulteration by mislabeling or incorporation of two honey. A. mellifera honey may be mislabeled as A. cerana honey or mixed with A. cerana honey by dishonest businesses and beekeepers who are motivated by substantial earnings. The current study used the MRJP2 (Major Royal Jelly Protein 2) gene and spectroscopic analysis to differentiate honey from A. mellifera and A. cerana. Primers for two different species were designed. A. cerana and A. mellifera exhibited amplification products of 212 and 560 bp, respectively. Duplex PCR was able to identify the presence of as little as 1% A. mellifera honey in the mixture. A. mellifera and A. cerana originated honey was differentiated using MRJP2 gene and UV-VIS spectroscopy. The resulted banding pattern can be used to identify adulterated honey. UV-VIS spectroscopy has been used to determine the concentration of DNA at different wavelength for standardizing the corresponding honey types. Amplifications MRJP2 gene fragments in gel electrophoresis and responsiveness in screening for two honey types with their probable admixtures provided an effective tool for discriminating the honey types. DNA Spectrophotometric Spectrum analysis in different wavelengths and ratios also provided a clear-cut discrimination protocol of these two honey types. The findings of these two methods can be used efficiently apply towards authentication of the honey originated by A. mellifera and A. cerana in the honey market of Bangladesh.