Digestibility in Apis mellifera L.: use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as marker substance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30972/vet.3427046Keywords:
Apis mellifera, apparent digestibility, pollen, sucrose syrup, titanium dioxideAbstract
Apparent digestibility is a useful technique for measuring nutritional resources in different animal species, requiring an inert marker such as titanium dioxide (TiO2). However, TiO2 has never been tested for digestibility studies in Apis mellifera. This work aimed to investigate different TiO2 concentrations as inert marker in the feeds (sucrose syrup and bee pollen) commonly consumed by honeybees. We assessed consumption variables, apparent digestibility, mortality rate, and body part weights. TiO2 did not significantly affect the mentioned variables, except for water consumption and apparent digestibility. Both variables exhibited an inverse relationship with the concentration of TiO2 added to the feeds. This observation could be attributed to a potential toxic effect of TiO2 or the analytical procedure. Based on our findings, we conclude that the optimal concentration of TiO2 for future digestibility studies is 0.1% w/w on a dried mass basis. The addition of TiO2 to sugary preparations and bee pollen holds promise as a valuable method for investigating apparent digestibility in Apis mellifera when studying these types of feeds.
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