Antioxidant Capacity, Physicochemical and Floral Characterization of Honeys from the Northeast of Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this work was to evaluate floral origin, physicochemical quality and antioxidant capacity of 15 honey samples, from a semi-arid region in the northeast of Brazil and to correlate data with color and total phenolic content (TPC). A predominance of amber color was observed. The majority of samples were classified as polifloral and only two samples (the light yellow ones) were monofloral. TPC values ranged from 27.0 to 92.7 mg GAE 100 g -1 of honey, being higher in darker samples. All samples had ability to scavenge DPPH  radicals and showed reducing potential analyzed by FRAP and CUPRAC methods, with the highest performance obtained in darker samples. TPC shows good positive correlations (p<0.05) with the methods used to evaluate antioxidant capacity. Significant correlations (p<0.01) between color and TPC (0.82) and also with reducing power, using CUPRAC (0.66) were observed. The darker color of honey is indicative of higher phenol content and antioxidant capacity. The reported characteristics give an enhanced functional food property to honey and contribute to the development of the regional economy, providing an alternative to family income increase.