Analysis of Biochemical Composition of Honey Samples from North-East Nigeria

Abstract

Natural honey is one of the most widely sought products due to its unique properties, which are attributed to the influence of the different groups of substances it contains. Honey is used for nutritional, medicinal and industrial purposes and it is an important commodity in the international market; serving as foreign exchange earner for many countries. In Nigeria, honey production (beekeeping) has the potential to develop as a prime agro-horticultural and forest-based industry which can be a major foreign exchange earner if international standards are met. The precise chemical composition and physical properties of natural honeys differ according to the plant species on which the bees forage. Differences in climatic conditions and vegetations are also important factors that can affect the various properties of honey. North-eastern Nigeria consists of humid, semi arid and arid climates with varying agricultural activities and blossoms from different types of vegetations, which can influence the natural composition and properties of honey. Thus, analysis of the biochemical composition of 18 honey samples obtained from different locations in the northeast sub-region of Nigeria was carried out to ascertain their qualities. Moisture and ash contents of the samples had average values of 16.00 ± 2.19 g/100 g and 0.47 ± 0.09 g/100 g, respectively. The protein contents ranged between 0.35 and 1.08g/100 g with a mean of 0.67 ± 0.25 g/100 g while fat content lied between 0.10 and 0.50 g/100 g with a mean of 0.29 ± 0.11 g/100 g. Total carbohydrate contents and Energy values showed average values of 82.30 ± 2.03 g/100 g and 1,401.33 ± 33.71 KJ/100 g, respectively. Fructose contents gave an average of 38.94 ± 0.90 g/100 g, while glucose contents had a mean value of 31.65 ± 2.79 g/100 g. The sucrose contents of the honey samples had a mean value of 1.84 ± 0.79 g/100 g. Total polyphenol and vitamin C contents showed mean values of 65.31 ± 19.50 mg Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/100 g and 21.15 ± 3.99 mg/100 g, respectively. The results of this study indicate that the samples compare favorably with samples in many parts of the world and also fall within the limits of international standards.

Some physiochemical properties of Acacia honey from different altitudes of the Asir Region in Southern Saudi Arabia

“…However, in some Bangladeshi honey samples the mean ash percentage was 0.36 ± 0.08% (Asaduzzaman et al 2015). Buba and her colleagues studied 18 honey samples from Nigeria and found that the ash percentage was 0.42 ± 0.009%, which is higher than our findings (Buba et al 2013). Our results…”

Characterization of Selected Honey in South-East Nigeria: Theoretical Translation

“…This showed the natural feeding of the honey bees and high quality of the honey produced from the farms [20]. The results were further compared with previous published results (sugars in honey) for honey samples in Nigeria [5,18,23,24]. The results showed no significant difference from previous studies.…”

“…As previously reported, the typical constituents of honey by dry matter is sugar, with small amounts of about 22 additional complex sugars and other constituents like pigments, acids and minerals that bring about unique honey types. Subsequently, honeybees are related to the identity and quality of their honey, however, there are not many studies that establish the stability of chemical compounds present in honey and ensuring that honey consumption are devoid of toxic compounds for human health [3,4]. A study conducted on stability of Nigerian honey showed that if natural harvested honeys are produced hygienically and stored, that its stability can be up to 2 years [5], while the geographical and botanical origin of the flora, type and activity of the bee can also affect the quality and honey composition [6].…”

Glucose oxidase activity and hydrogen peroxide accumulation in Croatian honeys

“…However, the pH increase from the lowest to the highest dilution was slight and was ranging from 0.23 pH units for chestnut honey, to 0.39 pH units for black locust. Such slight changes in pH upon honey dilution were not surprising, since it is well known that honey acts as a buffer (Buba et al, 2013). (Brudzynski, 2006;Brudzynski et al, 2011;Brudzynski et al, 2017), by measurement of oxygen concentration (decomposition of H 2 O 2 by exogenously added catalase) (Bang et al, 2004), while only Cooke et al (2015) measured hydrogen peroxide content in honeys using MQuant test strips, but examined special types of honey.…”