Sugar composition profiling of Indonesian stingless bee (Meliponini) honey from multiple geographical regions using HPLC-RID and multivariate analysis

Muhamad Saeful Anwar (Department of Chemistry, Universitas Nusa Bangsa, Bogor 16166, Indonesia Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia)
Ekrima Astari (Department of Earth System Science and Technology, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 816-0811, Japan)
Nurlela (Department of Chemistry, Universitas Nusa Bangsa, Bogor 16166, Indonesia Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredient and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Kawasan Sains dan Teknologi (KST) Soekarno, Cibinong 169)
Muhamad Sahlan (Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia Department of Interdisciplinary Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16)

Communications in Science and Technology
Vol 11 No 1 (2026)

Stingless bee honey (Meliponini) has attracted attention due to its unique sugar composition, particularly trehalulose, a low-glycemic disaccharide with potential health benefits. This study investigated the sugar profiles of 23 stingless bee honey samples collected from East Java, Central Java, Bali, Belitung, and Jambi using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Refractive Index Detection (HPLC-RID). Fructose and glucose were the dominant sugars, while trehalulose concentrations varied markedly among regions. The highest fructose content was observed in Bali honey (47.09 g/100 g), whereas Belitung honey exhibited the highest trehalulose concentration (43.22 g/100 g). Jambi samples contained relatively higher sucrose levels. Dehumidification treatment reduced trehalulose concentration while increasing fructose and glucose contents. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed clear regional clustering patterns, explaining 83.3% of the total variance. Belitung honey samples were distinguished by exceptionally high trehalulose concentrations compared with samples from other regions. These findings provide a comparative overview of regional variation in sugar composition and trehalulose distribution in Indonesian stingless bee honey. The results contribute to the scientific database of Indonesian stingless bee honey and may support future efforts in quality control, honey characterization, and the development of high-value honey products.