Espectro químico de compuestos orgánicos volátiles de miel de pote de Erica Melipona favosa (Fabricius, 1798) de la Península de Paraguana, estado Falcón, Venezuela

Erica Melipona favosa (Fabricius, 1798) is a stingless bee living in the plains and coastal areas of Venezuela. Thirteen honey samples were collected by suction from sealed honey pots of a Melipona favosa meliponary from Guacurebo, Santa Ana piedmont of Paraguana Peninsula, Falcon state, Venezuela. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were analyzed using head space-solid phase micro extraction/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry HS-SPME/GC-MS and recorded areas. The abundance of 97 VOCs was organized according to the diversity of their chemical classes: 11 acids, 19 alcohols, 11 aldehydes, 30 esters, 5 ketones, 4 monoterpenes, 4 oxides, 2 sesquiterpenes, 2 others, and 9 unknown compounds. The most abundant VOC was acetic acid from 137.86 to 764.72. Surprisingly, lactic acid was not detected because it is not volatile. Ethyl acetate (3.60 to 63.60) and ethyl lactate (1.52 to 32.73) were the most abundant esters. Ethanol varied from 10.56 to 91.60, and the phenylethyl alcohol varied from 2.09 to 25.03. Half VOCs, 47/97 compounds were present in all pot-honey and 50/97 were variable not ubiquitous VOCs. Esterifications are important in the Melipona favosa honey volatilome, with 30/97 chemical compounds, and their functions a challenge to be explained