Ferulic acid as major antioxidant phenolic compound of the Tetragonisca angustula honey collected in Vera Cruz - Itaparica Island, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

The antioxidant activity of Tetragonisca angustula honey (TAH) and its ethanolic extract (TAEE) were investigated. The total levels of phenolic (TPC) and flavonoids (TFC) were also evaluated. The results for TPC were 19.91 ± 0.38 and 29.37 ± 1.82 mg GAE g-1 and for TFC 0.20 ± 0.02 and 0.14 ± 0.01 mg QE g-1 of TAH and TAEE, respectively. Antioxidant activities were 73.29 ± 0.49% and 93.36 ± 0.27% in the DPPH● assay and 71.73 ± 4.07% and 97.86 ± 0.35% in ABTS●+ for TAH and TAEE, respectively. The total reducing activity was determined by the method of reducing power (PR) and iron ion (Fe III) and the results varied in PR from 151.7 ± 25.7 and 230.7 ± 25.2 mg GAE L-1, for TAH and TAEE respectively and for (Fe III) in EC50 0.284 in TAEE and 0.687 in TAH. Chemical analysis by HPLC-DAD of the ethanolic extract (TAEE) revealed the presence of ferulic acid as majority phenolic component in the extract. The 1H NMR analysis confirmed this structure and showed the also presence of glucose, citric acid, succinic acid, proline and hydrocarbon derivatives. In addition, the botanical origin was also investigated and showed a multifloral characteristic, having found 19 pollen types with a botanical predominance of the Anacardiaceae family, with Tapirira pollen occurring as predominant (42.6%) and Schinus as secondary (25.7%). The results showed that T. angustula honey is an interesting source of antioxidant phenolic compounds due to its floral origin and can act as a protector of human health when consumed.

Insularity and its impact on stingless bee honey properties: A case study in the Zanzibar Archipelago (Tanzania)

“…[36][37][38] Islands and their unique flora provide unparalleled opportunities to test a wide range of hitherto little explored ecological questions, including the impact of insularity in all its environmental and climatic components on flowering plant community composition, and on how this phenomenon, in turn, drives differences in the physical-chemical characteristics. [39][40][41][42][43] To date, most studies on stingless bee honey composition have been conducted in the Neotropics, whereas honeys from Afrotropical species (that are occurring in sub-Saharan Africa) have received comparatively little attention 16 beyond the confirmation that that stingless bee honey is also used to treat several diseases in the Afrotropics. 44,45 In this study, we aimed to contribute filling this gap by investigating the impact of geographical origin on physico-chemical composition and therapeutic potential of Afrotropical stingless bee honey.…”

“…Islands are often depicted as “natural laboratories” into which the evolution of organisms and the non‐random, unique biotic community assemblages are taking sometimes radically different routes 36–38 . Islands and their unique flora provide unparalleled opportunities to test a wide range of hitherto little explored ecological questions, including the impact of insularity in all its environmental and climatic components on flowering plant community composition, and on how this phenomenon, in turn, drives differences in the physical–chemical characteristics 39–43 . To date, most studies on stingless bee honey composition have been conducted in the Neotropics, whereas honeys from Afrotropical species (that are occurring in sub‐Saharan Africa) have received comparatively little attention 16 beyond the confirmation that that stingless bee honey is also used to treat several diseases in the Afrotropics 44,45 …”