Comparative analysis of honey from the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Tunisia

Abstract

The European Union is the world's second largest producer of honey after China, with an average production of 230,000 tonnes per year, a total of 17.5 million hives owned by 650,000 beekeepers. The Republic of Moldova has a rich tradition in terms of honey production, with an average of 4,000 tons per year, but which is mostly exported to the European Union. Romania is one of the main honey producers in the EU, occupying in 2018 the first place in the ranking of member countries, with a production of 30,900 tons. In Tunisia, the number of beekeepers is growing, currently reaching 12,000, with a number of hives of 163,000, honey production averaging 1,750 tons per year). Conclusions: Following the analysis of the 15 honey samples, of 5 from each country (Republic of Moldova, Romania and Tunisia) it was found that the physical and chemical index in most of the tested samples falls within the permissible intervals, but some types of honey such as honey of rapeseed, buckwheat, black grass are of particular interest and require further research.