Honeybee (Apis mellifera L, Hymenoptera: Apidae) Produce Honey from Flowers of Tea Plants (Camellia sinensis L., Theaceae)
Kieko Saito, Rieko Nagahashi, Masahiko Ikeda, Yoriyuki Nakamura
Journal of Experimental Agriculture International · pp. 1–4 · Published 10 Nov 2015
10.9734/AJEA/2016/21811Abstract
We obtained honey from the blooming flowers of tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.) pollinated by honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). Functional amino acids, theanine, which is a unique ingredient to tea, was determined using reversed-phase chromatography. We also determined the main ingredients: Caffeine and catechins. The obtained honey contained theanine, which shows that it was derived from tea flowers. The theanine concentration of the nectar of the tea flowers exceeded that of the honey. Caffeine was detected (but no catechins) in both the honey and the nectar of the tea flowers. Our results refute the previously held view that tea nectar is toxic to honeybees. Our new finding reveals that it is possible to obtain honey from the nectar of tea flowers.
Cited by 1
Xin-Lan Chen, Xing-Rong Peng, Xueyang Gong · Natural Product Research · 2020
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