Grana

ISSN: 0017-3134 (Print) 1651-2049 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/sgra20

A melissopalynological study of artisanal honey

produced in Catamarca (Argentina)

María Cristina Costa, Víctor Ariel Vergara-Roig & Silvia Clara Kivatinitz

To cite this article: María Cristina Costa, Víctor Ariel Vergara-Roig & Silvia Clara Kivatinitz (2013)
A melissopalynological study of artisanal honey produced in Catamarca (Argentina), Grana, 52:3,
229-237, DOI: 10.1080/00173134.2013.819525

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00173134.2013.819525

Published online: 25 Aug 2013.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 243

View related articles

Citing articles: 2 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=sgra20
Grana, 2013
Vol. 52, No. 3, 229–237, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00173134.2013.819525

A melissopalynological study of artisanal honey produced in

Catamarca (Argentina)

MARÍA CRISTINA COSTA1 , VÍCTOR ARIEL VERGARA-ROIG2 & SILVIA CLARA

KIVATINITZ3
1 Áreade Proyectos Especiales, Departamento Diversidad Biológica y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y
Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina, 2 Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias
Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina,
3 Departamento de Química Biológica-CIQUIBIC, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,

Córdoba, Argentina

Abstract
Honey samples from apiaries located in the province of Catamarca, Argentina, were analysed. Most of the territory is arid
and covered by mountains (80%). Beekeeping is situated in the arid Chaco and Yunga regions. A total of 86 pollen types,
belonging to 39 families, were identified from the honey samples and 68 (79%) were native flora. Ten types were classified
as predominant pollen types and were present in the monofloral honeys (n = 18), Prosopis spp., Cercidium praecox, Larrea
divaricata and Tournefortia lilloi are those with the highest frequency. Pollen from Fabaceae and Asteraceae has the greatest
representation in honey, with 14 and 11 types, respectively. Most of the honey samples correspond to groups II (normal
pollen grain content, 39%) and III (rich in pollen grain content, 30%). The honeys analysed had a typical pollen array of
arid Chaco and southern Andean Yungas flora. The present research has contributed to describe new types of monofloral
honeys from native plants. This finding points to the potential commercial worth of ethnobotanical studies in the honey
market and may help future investigations, which need to establish conservation categories for endemic species.

Keywords: pollen analysis, Chaco region, Yunga region, native flora, monofloral honeys, Catamarca

Pollination ecology and melissopalynology, the study
of pollen content in honey, share a link through
the fertilisation of plants. Quality characterisation of
honey includes pollen identification and quantifica-
tion that are regularly studied to ensure the nectar
source. In fact, the level of anthropogenic influence
and the existence of wild flora could be evaluated
since honey may be used as a bio-indicator of envi-
ronment conservation (Kevan, 1999; Lambert et al.,
2012). Thus, data from melissopalynological anal-
yses of honey from Catamarca could be useful to
evaluate environmental health.
Honey from Catamarca offers a unique oppor-
tunity to evaluate the conservation status of the
native flora from the different regions since honey
bee colonies utilise native flora, where a diversity
of pollen is provided. Some of the richest sources
of pollen and nectar are Prosopis spp., Larrea spp.,
Geoffraea decorticans (Gillies ex Hook. et Arn.)
Burkart and Cercidium praecox (Ruiz et Pav. ex
Hook.) Harms ssp. praecox (Salgado & Pire, 1998;
PROSAP, 2007).
Beekeeping is situated in regions that can be
ascribed to a variety of eco-regions with a distinc-
tive flora each. Dense forested areas of the southern
Andean Yungas flora [between 300–500 and 900 m
above sea level (a.s.l.)] have recently been char-
acterised (Hilgert & Gil, 2006; Sánchez & Lupo,
2009). The main species are Anadenanthera colubrina
(Vell.) Brenan var. cebil (Griseb.) Altschul, Schinopsis
lorentzii (Griseb.) Engl.; less frequently found
are Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong,

Correspondence: María Cristina Costa, Área de Proyectos Especiales, Departamento Diversidad Biológica y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y
Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Vélez Sarsfield 299, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina. E-mail: criscosta78@yahoo.com.ar

(Received 21 June 2012; accepted 30 April 2013)

© 2013 Collegium Palynologicum Scandinavicum
230 M. C. Costa et al.
Figure 1. Depiction of the study sites. A. Map showing location
of the study area. B. A representative site of the Chaco region C.
A representative site of the Yunga region.
Juglans australis Griseb. and Sapium haematosper-
mun Müll. Arg., Tabebuia nodosa (Griseb.) Griseb.
and Pentapanax angelicifolius Griseb. Also, shrub
flora like Acacia tucumanensis Griseb., Tournefortia
lilloi I.M.Johnst. and Duranta serratifolia (Griseb.)
Kuntze are present (Palmieri et al., 2010). Chaco
arid and semi-arid regions are characterised by tree
species such as Schinopsis marginata Engl., Acacia
visco Lorentz ex Griseb. as main species and Celtis
ehrenbergiana (Klotzsch) Liebm., Lithraea molleoides
(Vell.) Engl., Geoffraea decorticans, Ziziphus mistol
Griseb., Prosopis alba Griseb. var. alba, Prosopis nigra
(Griseb.) Hieron. var. nigra, Prosopis kuntzei Harms
and Zanthoxylum coco Gillies ex Hook.f. et Arn., but
also shrub species such as Mimosa detinens Benth.,
Condalia microphylla Cav., Maytenus viscifolia Griseb.,
Schinus spp., Capparis atamisquea Kuntze, Acacia spp.
and Mimosa ephedroides (Gillies ex Hook. et Arn.)
Benth. (PROSAP, 2007; Palmieri et al., 2010).
The Chaco district flora is loosely related with
the Yunga flora, which has denser forest vegeta-
tion. Some species are present in both regions,
while others are distinctive of only one of them,
i.e., Prosopis spp. (Algarrobo), Acacia spp. (Espinillo,
Garabato), Condalia microphylla (Piquillín) and
Schinopsis marginata (Orco Quebracho) are present
in the former, while Tournefortia lilloi (Alcanflor),
Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil (Cebil) and
Schinopsis lorentzii (Quebracho Colorado) in the lat-
ter (Palmieri et al., 2010).
Melissopalynologycal study from different phyto-
geographic regions, i.e. the Pampa region (Tellería,
1988, 1993), the Espinal region (Costa et al.,
1995; Andrada & Tellería, 2005), the Monte region
(Tellería & Forcone, 2000), the Subantarctic region
(Forcone et al., 2005) and the east district of
the Chaco region (Salgado & Pire, 1998) have
been reported. Data on the botanical origin of
honey produced in Catamarca are scarce and
unpublished in international or national scientific
journals.
In this study, 33 honey samples from apiaries
located in different phytogeographic regions were
analysed and constitute the first contribution of
pollen analyses in the honeys from Catamarca,
Argentina.
Material and methods
Description of the study sites
Catamarca is a province of Argentina, located in
the northwest of the country, that spans 25o –30◦ S
and among 69o –65◦ W (Figure 1A). Eighty per cent
of the territory is characterised by mountains, and
it is an arid and semi-arid zone. Four different
ecosystems can be distinguished: the Pampean sier-
ras, the Narváez-Cerro Negro-Famatina system, the
Cordilleran–Catamarca area of transition and the

Figure 2. Level of native and exotic plants in honey samples
grouped by frequency of appearance: Most (found in ten or more
honey samples), Regular (between nine and four) and Least (less
than four).
Puna system, an elevated portion in the northwest
(Morláns, 1995; Gutiérrez et al., 2010).
The sites of honey collection were situated in
eco-regions of the Yunga (southern Andean Yungas,
NT0165) and Chaco (Chaco Occidental, NT0210;
Arid Chaco, NT0701; Chaco Serrano, NT0706).
The eco-regions denominations and codes used are
those of the World Wildlife Fund, consisting of
two letters and two sets of two numbers (realm
code + biome code + specific eco-region code, thus
NT means neotropic) (Olson, 2001).
Samples and honey analyses
Thirty-three artisanal honey samples from Apis
mellifera L. were collected by beekeepers that
are registered with the RENAPA (Argentinean
National Registry of Beekeepers), in the southeast
of Catamarca during the summer of 2008 to 2009.
Honeys were collected from eight different depart-
ments: Andalgalá (n = 3), Capayán (n = 14), Fray
Mamerto Esquiú (n = 1), La Paz (n = 3), Paclín
(n = 5), Santa Rosa (n = 4), Tinogasta (n = 1) and
Valle Viejo (n = 2). Sampling occurred from the
end of 2008 to the beginning of 2009. The honey
was obtained by centrifugation and stored at room
temperature until analysis.
Melissopalynological qualitative studies were done
as previously reported (Louveaux et al., 1978).
A sample of 10 g honey was dissolved in 50 ml dis-
tilled water, centrifuged at 1500 g for 10 min, washed
once with distilled water and acetolysed (Erdtman,
1960). Pollen sediment was mounted in glycerine
Artisanal honey of Catamarca 231
Figure 3. Predominant (D) pollen types found in honey that was
classified as monofloral honeys. Horizontal bars represent the per-
centage of a taxon’s pollen in the monofloral honeys. The last
bar represents the percentage of multifloral honeys in the samples
examined.
jelly and sealed with paraffin. To determine fre-
quency classes, 500 pollen grains were counted per
sample (Louveaux et al., 1970). The four following
categories were used for frequency classes: predom-
inant pollen (D, more than 45% of pollen grains
counted), secondary pollen (S, 16–45%), impor-
tant minor pollen (M, 3–15%) and minor pollen
(T, 1–3%).
Pollen types were identified by comparing with a
reference collection that was made from the plants
in the area surrounding the beehives. A pollen atlas
by Markgraf and d’Antoni (1978) was also con-
sulted. The reference collection is housed in the
Palynotheca of the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas,
Físicas y Naturales of the Universidad Nacional
de Córdoba. The herbarium specimens recollected
were deposited in the Cátedra de Palinología of
the faculty. Mimosa ephedroides pollen was classified
along with the following identification characteris-
tics: ovoid dissymmetric bitetrads, diameter 18 µm;
pyramidal monads 3-porate, distinctly aspidate; thin
exine (Caccavari, 1985, 2002). The pollen types
were identified at species level whenever possible and
otherwise to genus or family ranks.
When one pollen type was represented ≥ 45%
of the total number of pollen grains, the sam-
ple was classified as a monofloral honey (Maurizio
& Louveaux, 1961).The frequency occurrence of
pollen is expressed as a percentage. It was calculated
by totalling the number of samples, in which a taxon
occurs and dividing the result by the total number of
samples.
Quantitative analysis was done following the
methodology previously described (Moar, 1985)
232 M. C. Costa et al.

Figure 4. Pollen content of monofloral honeys of Mimosa sp. (A–C) and Prosopis sp. (D–F). Microphotgraph of honey samples (A, B, D,
E) are compared against reference standards of Mimosa sp. (C) or Prosopis sp. (F). A, C, D, F are 2D projections of a Z-stack taken with a
40× objective. B, E are auto-fluorescence views from de equatorial section of A and D, respectively. Scale bars – 20 µm.

spiking with tablets of Lycopodium clavatum L. spores.
A subsample of 10 g honey was dissolved in dis-
tilled water, and two L. clavatum tablets (dissolved
in 5 ml 5% hydrochloric acid) were added, each
containing 12 000 ± 200 spores. The sediment was
concentrated by repeated centrifugation at 1500 g
for 10 min, mounted in glycerine jelly, and sealed
with paraffin. In order to obtain the percentage
and frequency classes of spores and pollen taxa,
up to 500 pollen grains were counted. Pollen
concentration was derived from the ratio of total
pollen × Lycopodium spores added to the number
of Lycopodium spores counted. Honeydew elements
were not counted.
Honey was classified as follows: Group I
(< 20 000 grains), Group II (20 000–100 000 grains),
Group III (100 000–500 000 grains), Group IV
(500 000–1 000 000 grains), Group V (> 1 000 000
grains) (Maurizio, 1975).
Microphotography of pollen and honey samples
was done with an Olympus FV 300 spectral con-
focal microscope equipped with a 40× (NA: 0.75)
and a 60× (NA: 1.42) Uplan SApo oil-immersion
objectives. Fluorescence images were acquired using
a 488 nm Argon or 543 nm Helium-Neon laser
excitation line. Emission was collected between
510–540 nm and 565–610 nm, respectively. In each
independent experiment, the PTM voltage, gain and
offset were calibrated in accordance with the auto-
fluorescence and secondary controls, with similar
parameters for all experiments. The confocal aper-
ture (CA) was set at 100 µm. Z-stacks were acquired
and retinal image slices were used for making two-
dimensional (2D) projections with the BioImage
software using the maximum intensity projection
method.
Results
A total of 86 pollen types belonging to 39 families
were identified in the honey samples, 68 (79% from
the total) of which were from native flora (Table I).
An analysis to discriminate the most frequent pollen
species (species found in ten or more samples)
revealed only one exotic pollen type (Eucalyptus sp.,
8%). In contrast, an analysis of the least frequent
species (found in four or less samples) revealed
12 exotic plant species (24%) (Figure 2).
 Artisanal honey of Catamarca 233

Ten taxa, classified as predominant pollen types,

were present in the monofloral honeys (n = 18).
Three of these were from the most frequent species
(Prosopis spp., Cercidium praecox and Larrea divaricata
Cav.; Figure 3, Table I). When species were grouped
by life habit (trees, shrub, herbs and bindweeds),
it was observed that pollen types mainly repre-
sented trees and shrubs (60%). Bindweeds such as
Tripodanthus sp., Clematis sp. or Cardiospermum spp.,
were less represented in honey.
Pollen from the families Fabaceae and Asteraceae
were most common in the honeys, with 14 and
11 types, respectively (Table I). Lamiaceae and
Anacardiaceae were represented with four pollen
types each (Table I). Native species were present in
most of the samples, with Prosopis sp. occurring in
88% of the samples, Larrea in 82% of the samples,
Mimosa in 76% of the samples, Cercidium in 70% of
the samples and Acacia and Baccharis in 52% of the
samples (Table I, Figure 3). The diversity of pollen
types ranged from six to 23 different types in the
whole population analysed (Table I).
Honey samples from the Yunga region repre-
sented 24% of the samples (eight out of 33 sam-
ples). These honeys had a distinctive pollen pattern
due to the content of Tournefortia lilloi in the sam-
ples from Alijilán, being the predominant pollen in
75% of them and present in 62% of the Yunga
honey samples (Table I). Other pollen types found
in the honeys of this region were Myrcianthes mato
(Griseb.) McVaugh and Hyptis mutabilis (Rich.) Briq.
(Table I). In two samples from Palo Labrado (881 m
a.s.l.), Zanthoxylum coco pollen was found.
The pollen types more frequently found in honey
samples from the Chaco region were Prosopis spp.
and Mimosa spp. (92%; Figure 4), Cercidium praecox
(68%) and Larrea divaricata (60%) of the samples Figure 5. Quantitative analysis of pollen in the honey samples. A.
from the region (Table I). Pollen from Gomphrena Frequency of appearance of most represented families in groups
pulchella Mart., Geoffraea decorticans, Mimosa spp. II and III. B. Percentage of honey classes.
and Senna aphylla (Cav.) H.S.Irwin et Barneby, were
present in about 30% of these honey samples and territory origin of the samples had little anthro-
were much less frequent in Yunga honey samples pogenic influence. Our data support the relation-
(less than 13%). Geoffraea decorticans was not present ship between the presence of wild flora pollen in
in honeys from the Yunga region. honey and environment conservation (Kevan, 1999;
Quantitative analysis demonstrates that most Lambert et al., 2012).
honey samples correspond to groups II (39%) and III One important finding was the high percentage
(30%), mainly containing predominant or secondary (79% from the total) of native flora pollen identified
pollen from the Fabaceae family, while samples clas- in the honey samples; native nectariferous taxa were
sified as groups IV and I were the least frequent (9% the predominant pollen in 48.5% of the samples and
and 21%, respectively; Figure 5A, B). represented 89% in the monofloral honeys.
The presence of Tournefortia lilloi in monofloral
honey samples was unexpected, since this species is
Discussion
characteristic of the Yunga region and has not pre-
This report is the first melissopalynological study viously been described in Catamarca. This finding
about honey from Catamarca. Here, nectar sources is of interest since T. lilloi has medical importance
come from native species mostly indicating that the (Hilgert & Gil, 2006). The relationship between
Table I. Pollen types identified in the 33 honeys analysed, their frequency classes and pollen diversity.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
Family Pollen type Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Y Y Y Y Ch Ch Y Ch Y Y Y Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch %

Amaranthaceae Gomphrena pulchella T T T T M M M M M 27

Anacardiaceae Schinopsis sp. M D T M M M M M 24
Schinus areira M M M M M M M M M M M 33
Schinus sp. T M M M M M M M M 27
Schinus fasciculatus M M M M M 15
Apiaceae Ammi visnaga M M M M M 15
Apocynaceae Aspidosperma M T M M 12
234 M. C. Costa et al.

quebracho blanco
Asteraceae M T M M M T T T 24
Baccharis sp. T M M M T M M M M M M T M T M M M 52
Bidens sp. M 6
Carduus sp. T M 6
Carduus nutans T 3
Cichorium intybus M 3
Eupatorium sp. M M 6
Helianthus petiolaris M 3
Senecio pampeanus M M 6
Parthenium sp. M 3
Verbesina encelioides T M M M M 15
Bignoniaceae Tecoma sp. M T 6
Bombacaceae Ceiba chodatii M 3
Boraginaceae Heliotropium sp. T M T M M 15
Tournefortia lilloi S D D D M 15
Brassicaceae Type Brassica M M T M M M M T 24
Rapistrum sp. M 3
Bromeliaceae Dickia floribunda T 3
Buddlejaceae Buddleja sp. M 3
Cactaceae T T T 9
Cereus sp. M 6
Opuntia sp. M M M 9
Campanulaceae Wahlembergia M 3
linarioides
Capparaceae Capparis atamisquea T M M M M M M M M M M M 36
Casuarinaceae Casuarina M 3
cunninghamiana
Celastraceae Maytenus viscifolia M T M 9
Celtidaceae Celtis ehrembergiana T T M T T M M T M M M 36
Chenopodiaceae Tipo Chenopodium M T T T T M T 21
Convolvulaceae Convolvulus sp. T M T T 12
Ipomoea sp. M T 6
Fabaceae Acacia spp. T M T M T T M M M T T M S T M M M 52
Adesmia sp. M D 6
Bahuinia candicans M 3
Cercidium praecox M M M S D M M D M S M M M M M M M M M M M M M 70
Geoffraea decorticans S M M M M M M M 24
 Melilotus albus M T T T M M M M M 27
Mimosa ephedroides S M M S T M M M M M M M M S S M T 52
Mimozyganthus M M M 9
carinatus
Mimosa spp. T M S M D M M M 24
Parkinsonia aculeata M M M M M D S M M M 30
Prosopis spp. S S T D S M M S S M S M M M M S S M M M M M M D D D M S S 88
Trifolium sp. M 3
Vicia sp. M M T 9
Senna aphylla T M M S M M M S 24
Geraniaceae Erodium sp. T 3
Lamiaceae Marrubium vulgare M 3
Hyptis mutabilis T T T T M M 18
Leonurus sp. M 3
Salvia sp. M M 6
Loranthaceae Tripodanthus sp. M M 6
Moraceae Morus sp. T M M M M 15
Myrtaceae Eucalyptus sp. T T M M T M M M M M M 33
Myrcianthes mato S M M M 12
Poaceae T T T T 12
Olacaceae Xinemia americana M M M M 9
Oleaceae Ligustrum sp. T M M 6
Polygonaceae Polygonum sp. T 3
Ruprechtia apetala M 3
Ranunculaceae Clematis M 3
montevidensis
Rhamnaceae Condalia microphylla T M M M M M 18
Ziziphus mistol M M M M M M S M M S 30
Rosaceae Prunus spp. M T 6
Rutaceae Citrus spp. M D D M S 15
Zanthoxylum coco M D S 9
Salicaceae Salix sp. M M 6
Sapindaceae Cardiospermum M M 6
halicacabum
Cardiospermum T T 6
corindum
Urvillea chacoënsis M 3
Solanaceae Cestrum parqui T 3
Lycium sp. M M M T M M 18
Lycium ciliatum M M T M M 15
Tamaricaceae Tamarix ramosissima M M 6
Verbenaceae Aloysia grattissima M M M M S M M M M M M M M M 42
Glandularia dissecta M M M M M 15
Verbena sp. M 3
Zygophyllaceae Bulnesia retama M M M 6
Larrea divaricata S D M S M M S M M M M M M S D M M M M 58
Larrea cuneifolia T M S M 12
Larrea spp. M M M M 12
Pollen diversity 12 12 6 14 12 10 18 11 17 21 15 23 13 9 12 17 6 16 7 12 14 16 15 16 18 6 7 12 15 6 20 17 22
Artisanal honey of Catamarca 235

Ch = Chaco region, Y = Yunga region.

236 M. C. Costa et al.
secondary metabolites of the nectariferous flora and
honey is a subject now under research (Gil et al.,
1995; Iurlina et al., 2009; Alvarez-Suarez et al.,
2012; Jasicka-Misiak et al., 2012).
Asteraceae along with Fabaceae had the high-
est pollen diversity in the honey samples analysed.
This result is in line with the high pollen diversity
of Asteraceae in honeys from the Yungas montane
forest (Jujuy, Argentina; Sánchez & Lupo, 2009).
Pollen content of honeys from Catamarca differed
from that of the Pampa phytogeographic province
because of the high percentage of the native tree
and shrub species present. In contrast, honey from
the central and south Argentinean Pampa have
mainly pollen from introduced herbs (Tellería, 1988;
Forcone, 2008).
The analysed honey samples had some pollen
types from genera like Larrea, Prosopis and Schinus
that also were found in honeys from the Espinal phy-
togeographic region (Costa, 1982; Costa et al., 1995;
Fagúndez & Caccavari, 2006). Furthermore, high
frequency of pollen types from taxa like Schinus spp.,
Baccharis spp., Prosopis spp., Mimosa spp., Acacia
spp., Larrea divaricata and Aloysia gratissima (Gillies
et Hook. ex Hook.) Tronc. were found in honeys
from other districts of the Chaco phytogeographic
region (Salgado & Pire, 1998; Pistone & Costa,
2007).
Our results are in line with those of Aizen and
Feinsinger (1994) studying native insect pollinators,
since they found Prosopis and Cercidium dominated
the entomophilous flora of the sites in subtropical
dry forest (Chaco serrano) of the Tucumán province,
north-western Argentina. However, several differ-
ences could be found when the comparison was done
with other Chaco districts that have high frequency
of taxa like Eryngium spp., Acicarpha tribuloides
Juss., Sapium haematospermum Müll. Arg., Tabebuia
type, Arecaceae and Polygonum spp. (Fagúndez &
Caccavari, 2006). These taxa have also been found
in Brazilian honeys (Barth, 2004).
The presence of pollen from Mimosa ephedroides
(Mimosoideae) seems to be a distinctive feature of
honeys from Catamarca, since it is not found in
honeys from other regions of Argentina (Aizen &
Feinsinger, 1994; Costa et al., 1995). This charac-
teristic must be evaluated in the future to ascertain if
it can be used as an indicator of geographical origin
because although Mimosa ephedroides is an endemic
plant in Catamarca (Burkart, 1948), it was absent in
honeys from Alijilán (Yunga region).
In México and Brazil, Mimosa species have been
reported as a nectar source (Barth, 2004; Ramírez-
Arriaga et al., 2011). Moreover, in the south-eastern
region of Brazil, the presence of several species
of Mimosa pollen in honey samples have been
established (Barth, 2004). Recently, it has been sug-
gested that Mimosa is not solely a polleniferous
resource as has been previously thought (Villanueva-
Gutiérrez et al., 2009; Ramírez-Arriaga et al., 2011).
Asteraceae and Myrtaceae monofloral honeys were
reported in the south of Brazil (Barth, 2004).
Contrary to those results, Asteraceae and Myrtaceae
honeys were poorly represented in this study, since
they were recorded only as minor or trace compo-
nents in the samples analysed.
Melissopalynological research could aid to identify
nectariferous plants characteristic of arid phytogeo-
graphic regions that are important to the ecosystem
and might help beekeepers to preserve and recover
some affected vegetation types. This may be accom-
plished by reforesting with relevant melliferous native
plants.
Conclusion
Honey from Catamarca can be distinguished
from those of other areas of Argentina by
melissopalynologycal analysis. Pollen associations
from native plants, including Prosopis and Mimosa,
could be markers of honey from this Argentinean
province; our group is extending the research to other
areas of Catamarca to ascertain this hypothesis.
Honey from the Yunga region of Catamarca is
distinguished by the frequent occurrence of pollen
types from species distinctive of this region such
as Tournefortia lilloi, Schinus areira and Myrcianthes
mato. In contrast, honey from the arid and semi-arid
Chaco contains pollen types such as Mimosoideae,
Larrea spp., Cercidium praecox and Astereae. Finally,
it is concluded that the pollen spectrum of the
honey indicates that honeybees (Apis mellifera) for-
aged pollen and nectar mainly from the native flora
of each region. The present study may contribute
to extend the production of monofloral honeys from
wild flora, and points to the potential commer-
cial worth of ethnobotanical studies on the honey
market and may help future investigations, which
need to establish conservation categories for endemic
species.
Acknowledgements
Estela Pistone and María José Loyola from Área
de Proyectos Especiales are thanked for their tech-
nical support. V.A.V.R. received a postgraduate
scholarship of the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca.
Proyecto Federal de Innovación Productiva-PFIP:
Desarrollo y fortalecimiento de laboratorio para la
determinación del origen botánico, caracterización
física, química y microbiológica de miel producida

en Catamarca. Help and support of the beekeepers of
the Catamarca province and of Alejandro Álvarez of
the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria-
INTA, are greatly acknowledged.
References
Aizen, M. A. & Feinsinger, P. (1994). Habitat fragmentation,
native insect pollinators, and feral honey bees in Argentine
‘Chaco Serrano’. Ecological Applications, 4, 378–392.
Alvarez-Suarez, J. M., Giampieri, F., González-Paramás, A. M.,
Damiani, E., Astolfi, P., Martinez-Sanchez, G., Bompadre,
S., Quiles, J. L., Santos-Buelga, C. & Battino, M. (2012).
Phenolics from monofloral honeys protect human erythro-
cyte membranes against oxidative damage. Food and Chemical
Toxicology, 50, 1508–1516.
Andrada, A. & Tellería, M. C. (2005). Pollen collected by
honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) from south of Caldén distrito
(Argentina): Botanical origin and protein content. Grana, 44,
1–8.
Barth, O. M. (2004). Melissopalynology in Brazil: A review of
pollen analysis of honeys, propolis and pollen loads of bees.
Scientia Agricola, 61, 342–350.
Burkart, A. (1948). Las especies de Mimosa de la Flora Argentina.
Darwiniana, 8, 9–231.
Caccavari, M. A. (1985). Granos de polen de leguminosas de la
Argentina. IV. Genero Mimosa. Boletín de la Sociedad Argentina
de Botánica, 24, 151–167.
Caccavari, M. A. (2002). Pollen morphology and structure of
Tropical and Subtropical American genera of the Piptadenia-
group (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae). Grana, 41, 130–141.
Costa, M. C. (1982). Contribución al conocimiento de la flora
melífera de la provincia de Córdoba. I. Departamento Río
Segundo. Boletín de la Sociedad Argentina de Botánica, 21,
247–258.
Costa, M. C., Decolati, N. & Godoy, E. (1995). Análisis polínico
en mieles del norte de la Provincia de San Luis (Argentina).
Kurtziana, 24, 133–144.
Erdtman, G. (1960). The acetolysis method. A revised descrip-
tion. Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift, 54, 561–564.
Fagúndez, G. A. & Caccavari, M. A. (2006). Pollen analysis of
honeys from the central zone of the Argentine province of
Entre Ríos. Grana, 45, 305–320.
Forcone, A. (2008). Pollen analysis of honey from Chubut
(Argentinean Patagonia). Grana, 47, 147–158.
Forcone, A., Ayestarán, G., Kutschker, A. & Garcia, J. (2005).
Palynological characterisation of honeys from the Andean
Patagonia (Chubut- Argentina) Grana, 44, 202–208.
Gil, M. I., Ferreres, F., Ortiz, A., Subra, E. & Tomas-Barberan,
F. A. (1995). Plant phenolic metabolites and floral origin of
rosemary honey. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 43,
2833–2838.
Gutiérrez, P. R., Zavattieri, A. M., Ezpeleta, M. & Astini, R.
(2010). Palynology of the La Veteada Formation (Permian)
in the Sierra de Narváez, Catamarca Province, Argentina.
Ameghiniana, 48, 154–176.
Hilgert, N. & Gil, G. (2006). Medicinal plants of the Argentine
Yungas plants of the Las Yungas biosphere reserve, northwest
of Argentina, used in health care. Biodiversity and Conservation,
15, 2565–2594.
Iurlina, M. O., Saiz, A. I., Fritz, R. & Manrique, G. D. (2009).
Major flavonoids of Argentinean honeys. Optimisation of the
extraction method and analysis of their content in relation-
ship to the geographical source of honeys. Food Chemistry, 115,
1141–1149.
Jasicka-Misiak, I., Poliwoda, A., Dereń, M. & Kafarski, P. (2012).
Phenolic compounds and abscisic acid as potential markers for
Artisanal honey of Catamarca 237
the floral origin of two Polish unifloral honeys. Food Chemistry,
131, 1149–1156.
Kevan, P. G. (1999). Pollinators as bioindicators of the state of
the environment: Species, activity and diversity. Agriculture,
Ecosystems & Environment, 74, 373–393.
Lambert, O., Veyrand, B., Durand, S., Marchand, P., Bizec, B.
L., Piroux, M., Puyo, S., Thorin, C., Delbac, F. & Pouliquen,
H. (2012). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Bees, honey and
pollen as sentinels for environmental chemical contaminants.
Chemosphere, 86, 98–104.
Louveaux, J., Maurizio, A. & Vorwhol, G. (1970). Methods
of melissopalynology by International Commission for Bee
Botany of IUBS. Bee World, 51, 125–138.
Louveaux, J., Maurizio, A. & Vorwohl, G. (1978). Methods
of melissopalynology by International Commission for Bee
Botany of IUBS. Bee World, 59, 139–157.
Markgraf, V. & d’Antoni, H. (1978). Pollen flora of Argentina.
Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press.
Maurizio, A. (1975). Microscopy of honey. In E. Crane
(Ed.), Honey: A comprehensive survey (pp. 240–257). London:
Heinemann.
Maurizio, A. & Louveaux, J. (1961). Pollens de plantes mellifères
d’Europe. Pollen et Spores II, 3, 219–246.
Moar, N. T. (1985). Pollen analysis of New Zealand honey. New
Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 28, 39–70.
Morláns, M. C. (1995). Regiones Naturales de Catamarca,
Provincias Geológicas y Provincias Fitogeográficas. Revista de
Ciencia y Técnica- Área Ecología, II, 1–42.
Olson, D. M. (2001). Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: A new
map of life on earth. BioScience, 51, 933–938.
Palmieri C. N., Carma, M. I. & Quiroga A. (2010). Las
ecorregiones presentes en Catamarca. Atlas Catamarca. San
Fernando del Valle de Catamarca: Gobierno de la Provinci a de
Catamarca. ETISIG Catamarca. http://www.atlas.catamarca.
gov.ar
Pistone, E. & Costa, M. C. (2007). Vinculación entre el con-
tenido polínico de mieles y la flora de la provincia fito-
geografica chaqueña. In Universidad Tecnológica Nacional
(Ed.), Terceras Jornadas de Economía Ecológica (pp. 56–56).
Tucumán: Facultad Regional Tucumán.
Programa de Servicios Agrícolas Provinciales (PROSAP). (2007).
Tipos de mieles. Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca
y Alimentación. Buenos Aires: Ministerio de Economia
Argentina.
Ramírez-Arriaga, E., Navarro-Calvo, L. A. & Díaz-Carbajal, E.
(2011). Botanical characterisation of Mexican honeys from a
subtropical region (Oaxaca) based on pollen analysis. Grana,
50, 40–54.
Salgado, C. R. & Pire, S. M. (1998). Análisis polínico de
mieles del Noroeste de la provincia de Corrientes (Argentina).
Darwiniana, 36, 87–93.
Sánchez, A. C. & Lupo, L. C. (2009). Asteraceae de interés
en la Melisopalinogía: Bosque montano de las yungas (Jujuy,
Argentina). Boletín de la Sociedad Argentina de Botánica, 44,
57–64.
Tellería, M. C. (1988). Analyse pollinique des miels du nord-
ouest de la Province de Buenos Aires (République Argentine).
Apidologie, 19, 275–290.
Tellería, M. C. (1993). Floraison et récolte du pollen par les
abeilles domestiques (Apis mellifera L. var. ligustica) dans la
pampa argentine. Apidologie, 24, 109–120.
Tellería, M. C. & Forcone, A. (2000). El polen de las mieles
del Valle de Río Negro, Provincia Fitogeográfica del Monte
(Argentina). Darwiniana, 38, 273–277.
Villanueva-Gutiérrez, R., Moguel-Ordóñez, Y. B., Echazarreta-
González, C. M. & Arana-López, G. (2009). Monofloral
honeys in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Grana, 48,
214–223.