Determination and Analysis of Free Amino Acid Composition of Xinjiang Black Bee Honey in Nilka

In order to explore the composition and content characteristics of free amino acids in Xinjiang black bee honey from Nilka County, and analyze the origin of honey. In this study, the content of free amino acids was determined by the industrial standard method in Xinjiang black bee honey from seven producing areas in Nilka. The essential amino acids, medicinal amino acids and taste amino acids were analyzed, and the characteristics of free amino acids in Xinjiang black bee honey from Nilka were discussed by principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The results showed that the total free amino acid content of Xinjiang black bee honey from seven producing areas in Nilka County was 458.98~805.94 mg/kg, the proportion of essential amino acids was 33.73%~51.84%, and the proportion of medicinal amino acids was 37.92%~57.94%. The taste amino acids were mainly aromatic amino acids and sweet amino acids. The total free amino acid content of honey from A3 producing area (805.94 mg/kg) was far higher than that from other six producing areas (458.98~619.82 mg/kg), and the phenylalanine, proline, serine, histidine, glycine, alanine, tyrosine, valine and isoleucine were the highest in seven producing areas. Cluster analysis showed that honey from A3 producing area could be well-separated from honey from other producing areas. In summary, Nilka Xinjiang black bee honey is rich in free amino acid species, phenylalanine content accounts for a relatively high amount of pharmacodynamic amino acids and taste amino acids, and honey from all production areas can be distinguished by free amino acid content, which has the potential to be developed into medicinal bee honey with unique taste.