Characterisation of phenolics and other quality parameters of different types of honey

Abstract

In order to provide a general picture of phytochemical characteristics of nectar honey, honeydew, and mixed honeys, an overall comparison of physicochemical parameters, and phenolic profile as well as antioxidant activity of various types of honey samples has been made. Among all samples analysed, honeydew samples possess the best quality parameters in the mean content of hydroxymethylfurfural, proline, and diastase activity. Moreover, the highest content of phenolic compounds as potential radical scavengers was found in honeydews, then in mixed and multifloral nectar honeys, while samples of monofloral honeys revealed the lowest, but still considerable amounts of natural antioxidants. The overall results of this study indicate that the quality parameters as well as the distribution of phenolic acids and flavonoids are affected by the type of honey.

Differentiation of Honeydew Honeys from Blossom Honeys and According to Their Botanical Origin by Electrical Conductivity and Phenolic and Sugar Spectra

“…Our findings indicate that the main phenolic compounds in the studied 93 honeydew honeys were protocatechuic acid, p -hydroxybenzoic acid, caffeic acid, p -coumaric acid, ferulic acid and abscisic acid, and flavonoids such as pinocembrin and chrysin (Figure ; Table S4). These phenolics were also reported by other authors for honeydew honeys of different botanical and geographical origins. ,,,,, Vanillic acid, benzoic acid, synapic acid, trans -cinnamic acid, and rutin were only described by a few authors. ,,, In the present study, these phenolics were not detectable in any honeydew honey sample using the described method.…”

“…The chromatographic profiles obtained of all extracted honeydew honey samples were very similar, and only low contents of phenolic compounds were detected in comparison to the monofloral blossom honeys. These low contents were unexpected due to investigations determining a significantly higher total phenol content for honeydew honeys than floral honeys estimated applying the Folin–Ciocalteu colorimetric assay. ,− This overestimation is known for the method as many chemical compounds of the matrix such as reducing sugars and some amino acids react with the reagent and therefore increase the value …”

“…These quantitative results are in good agreement with the results from honeydew honeys of various botanical and geographic origin reported by other authors using different extraction and detection methods (Table S6). ,, In all 35 flower honeys examined, the PrA content was below the detection limit of 0.02 mg/kg, with the exception of one heather and two buckwheat honeys, with a maximum content of 0.77 mg/kg. In the case of mixed honeys from nectar and honeydew, the mean PrA value was 1.7 ± 1.9 mg/kg, the individual results being between 0.3 and 8.9 mg/kg, depending on the honeydew ratio.…”

Comparative Study of the Antioxidant and Enzyme Inhibitory Activities of Two Types of Moroccan Euphorbia Entire Honey and Their Phenolic Extracts

“…Honey contains many biologically active compounds able to counteract the action of antioxidants, such as polyphenols [27]. The phenolic extract (PE5) presented the higher content of phenols (30.77 mg GAE/100 g) and the best antioxidant activity (IC 50 PE5 = 2.58 mg/mL); this correspondence had already been drawn up by Rostislav et al [26].…”

“…Fructose and glucose are the main carbohydrates of honey [26]. In all samples fructose (31.53 g/100 g-39.48 g/100 g) was at higher concentration than glucose (27.77 g/100 g-34.17 g/100 g) (Table 3).…”