Improving extractive processes in beekeeping in the light of quality engineering

Abstract

Beekeeping is a sustainable extractive activity, which results in a range of products, being honey the one with the highest value, its profitability is responsible for the subsistence of numerous families. Brazil is among the fifteen largest honey producers in the world, due to its high exploitation and commercialization. However, its artisanal production and productive inadequacies have been a bottleneck in harmless production. The present work seeks to identify the main contaminants within the extractive environment, to reduce or eliminate them. Quality tools were used, such as the Cause and Effect Diagram and Pareto Graph, allied to good manufacturing practices and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points System (HACCP), aiming to strategically list the means of contaminants and propose a mutual action plan to producers as well as a recommendation for changes in physical arrangements, aiming to increase the quality of honey and raise its commercial value.