Mel de abelhas sem ferrão no Brasil: análise bibliométrica e revisão sistemática: Vigil Sanit Debate, Rio de Janeiro, 2024, v.12: e02199 | Publicado em: 20/02/2024

Introduction: The honey from stingless bees (SB) is distinguished from honey from Apis mellifera bees, by unique sensory attribute, characteristics such as sweet-sour flavor and fluid viscosity, arousing increased consumer interest. Nevertheless, in recent years the number of scientific productions related to the subject has increased, it is necessary that the published articles are replicable. Objective: To fill important gaps about SB honey in Brazil, considering the structuring and possibility of replication ofavailable studies, as well as the observation of physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the product in order to base a national legislation. Method: The nine steps described in Methodi Ordinatio were followed. The search for articles was made in SciELO, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science platforms, using the keywords: “honey from stingless bees”, “meliponiculture”, “physicochemical characteristics” and “microbiological properties”. The content of 18 articles was analyzed. Results: Based on this literature survey, Brazilian SB honey from less than 31 of the species was evaluated. Therefore, there is a large number of species to be explored for their physicochemical, microbiological characteristics as well as antioxidant/microbial potential of their honeys from many Brazilian regions. Besides, it was observed very large variations in the physicochemical characteristics of the products coming from different species and productive regions. Conclusions: The standardization of a national legislation destined to the SB honey can only be established from deep studies, performed with each Brazilian species, providing more safety to the consumer. Introdução: O mel das abelhas sem ferrão (ASF) se distingue do mel das abelhas Apis mellifera, por características sensoriais singulares como sabor agridoce e viscosidade fluida, despertando o aumento do interesse do consumidor. Embora nos últimos anos o número de produções científicas relativas ao tema tenha aumentado, é necessário que os artigos publicados sejam passíveis de replicação. Objetivo: Sanar importantes lacunas quanto ao mel de ASF no Brasil considerando a estruturação e a possibilidade de replicação dos estudos disponíveis, bem como a observação das características físico-químicas e microbiológicas do produto em vias de fundamentar uma legislação nacional. Método: Os nove passos descritos na Methodi Ordinatio foram seguidos. A busca de artigos foi feita nas plataformas SciELO, Sc