Evaluation of physicochemical and antioxidant properties of sourwood and other Malaysian honeys: a comparison with manuka honey

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the physical, biochemical and antioxidant properties of four Malaysian monofloral types of honey (gelam, longan, rubber tree and sourwood honeys) compared to manuka honey.Several physical parameters of honey, such as pH, moisture content, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), color intensity, total sugar and sucrose content, were measured. A number of biochemical and antioxidant tests were performed to determine the antioxidant properties of the honey samples. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) levels were determined using high performance liquid chromatography.ResultsThe mean pH, moisture content, EC and TDS of Malaysian honey were 3.90 ± 0.12, 17.01 ± 3.07%, 0.59 ± 0.17 mS/cm and 294.87 ± 81.96 ppm, respectively. The mean color and HMF level was 102.07 ± 41.77 mm Pfund and 49.51 ± 0.12 mg/kg, respectively. Sourwood honey contained the highest contents of phenolics (580.03 ± 0.38 mggalic acid/kg) and flavonoids (156.82 ± 0.47 mgcatechin/kg) with high DPPH radical scavenging activity (59.26 ± 3.77%) as well as ferric reducing power [648.25 ± 0.90 μM Fe (II)/100 g]. Sourwood honey also exhibited the highest color intensity. Several strong positive correlations were observed amongst the different antioxidant parameters and the various antioxidant tests.ConclusionThis is the first time that the antioxidant potential of both sourwood and rubber tree honeys have been reported. Our results indicated that Malaysian honey (specifically sourwood honey and longan honey) is a good source of antioxidants compared to Manuka honey.

Comparison of methods for determining the color of Chilean honeys and the relationship of color with botanical origin in central Chile

“…Pfund is the most common method used for the determination of honey color because it is an easy, quick, and reproducible method (Delmoro et al, 2010;Moniruzzaman et al, 2013;Sant`Ana et al, 2014). According to our analytical experience, the OD method is more susceptible to the measurement conditions (time of sample exposure and presence of pollen in the honey) than the Pfund method.…”

“…Honey samples (N = 91) from the same geographical region and harvest season were melissopalynologically analyzed, as botanical origin is one of the main factors that affects the color of honey (Alqarni et al, 2012;Moniruzzaman et al, 2013). A total of 33 different pollen grain types were found in the honey samples.…”

“…then measured with a honey color photometer (Hanna HI 96785, Hanna Instruments, USA) and compared to analytical grade glycerol, which served as a standard reference (Moniruzzaman et al, 2013). Color was expressed as mm Pfund according to the Pfund classifier.…”

“…Therefore, a range of honey types with different botanical origins, chemical compositions, and color variations is thus expected. Honey color has been studied previously (Díez et al, 2004;Alvarez -Suarez et al, 2010;Delmoro et al, 2010;Alqarni et al, 2012;Moniruzzaman et al, 2013;Sant'Ana et al, 2014). Díez et al (2004) studied the color of 152 honeydew honeys from Morocco using an instrumental method and found that the color varies naturally, ranging from light yellow to amber, dark amber and black in extreme cases; occasionally, even green and red hues can be observed.…”

Physical Properties, Antioxidant Content and Anti-Oxidative Activities of Malaysian Stingless Kelulut (Trigona spp.) Honey

“…For instance, moisture content of a honey should be not more than 20% (Codex Alimentarius, 2001;EU Council Directive, 2001). Research works has been conducted on Malaysian honey, concluding the moisture content of Malaysian honeys has complied with the limit prescribed (Moniruzzaman et al, 2013a(Moniruzzaman et al, , 2013b. Nevertheless, KH was left out in these studies.…”