Different floral honey types are differentiated based on their antioxidant activities, contents of bioactive compounds, and pesticide residues

Abstract

Honey is a rich source of nutrients, which might be affected by bees foraging on different plants. Therefore, the current study aimed to discriminate honey samples based on their contents of antioxidants, chemical components, and pesticide residues. The antioxidant scavenging activity and total phenolic contents were measured spectrophotometrically. Bioactive chemical components and pesticide residues were estimated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance and clustering and discriminant models to differentiate the different kinds of honey. The results revealed significant differences between the examined kinds of honey in terms of total phenolic contents, with the greatest values for sider and acacia (138.14 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g fresh weight). Moringa and fennel unifloral honey exhibited the highest scavenging activities of the free radical α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl. Discriminate analysis revealed differences among honey samples of diverse botanical origins based on their content of sugar, glycoside, flavonoid, fatty acid, and terpenoids.