Dietary Supplementation of Stingless Bee (Tetragonula iridipennis) Honey Improves Hematological Profile of Indigenous Tenyi Vo Pigs

Abstract

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with stingless bee (Tetragonula iridipennis) honey on the haematological profile of indigenous Tenyi Vo pigs. A total of twenty clinically healthy weaned Tenyi Vo piglets (50–60 days old) were randomly allocated to four dietary treatment groups using a completely randomised design (CRD), with five piglets in each group. The treatment groups comprised T1 (control), T2 (0.5 mL honey), T3 (1.0 mL honey) and T4 (1.5 mL honey). Stingless bee honey was mixed with the basal diet and supplemented once every two days for 63 days. At the end of the experimental period, blood samples were collected and analysed for haematological parameters, including red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume (PCV) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Dietary supplementation with stingless bee honey significantly (P < 0.05) influenced all the haematological parameters evaluated. The highest RBC count (7.88 × 10⁶ cells/µL), haemoglobin concentration (15.02 g/dL), PCV (44.77%), and MCV (57.35 fL) were recorded in pigs supplemented with 1.0 mL honey (T3). Although T3 recorded the highest numerical WBC count (24.50 × 10³ cells/mm³), no significant difference was observed among T1, T2, and T3 (P > 0.05), whereas T4 exhibited a significantly lower WBC count (P < 0.05), indicating that moderate honey supplementation maintained normal leucocyte status without significantly increasing WBC counts. The improved haematological profile observed in the honey-supplemented groups may be attributable to the bioactive compounds, antioxidants, essential minerals, and immunomodulatory constituents present in stingless bee honey. The findings suggest that dietary supplementation with stingless bee (Tetragonula iridipennis) honey, particularly at the 1.0 mL level, improves haematological health and may serve as a natural functional feed additive for enhancing the physiological status and supporting the sustainable production of indigenous Tenyi Vo pigs.