CORRELATION BETWEEN THE PHENOLIC CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY OF DECLARED HONEYDEW HONEYS PRODUCED IN TRANSYLVANIA

Abstract

Declared honeydew honey samples from different counties of Transylvania were screened for total phenolic content by a modified Folin-Ciocalteu method and for their potential antioxidant activity using three different spectrophotometric methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant activity (TEAC). The results of the study showed that not all the declared honeydew honey samples, correspond to the EU standard for honeydew honey, and they can be divided in three groups: honeydew honeys, mixture of honeydew and multifloral honey and multifloral honey. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the honey are not strongly correlated parameters they differ widely among honey type. Phenolic content expressed as gallic acid equivalents ranged from 33,42 to 286,6 mgGAE/100g in the analyzed samples. Antioxidant activity presents the highest values in real honeydew honey samples and the lowest activity in multifloral honeys