Mineral, phenolic content and antioxidant activity of selected honey samples consumed in Serbia

Abstract

Although present in very small quantities, metals are important constituents of honey, having a significant impact on vital functions in the human body. Moreover, honey can be a good source of natural antioxidants, which have an important role in reducing the negative effects of certain human diseases. The content of the determined macroelements in the analyzed samples of domestic honey turned out to be of the following descending order: Na > K>Ca > Mg, and Ca > Na > Mg > K for the commercial types of honey. Generally, the detected content of macroelements was higher in domestic honey compared to commercial honeys, as well as in the case of the content of microelements. In some types of honey, the toxic elements Pb and Cd were detected, which is an indicator of environmental pollution. The results of total phenols content and antioxidant activities have shown that the sample of domestic floral honey from the area of Vlasina has the largest total phenols content and very high antioxidant activities, as well as manuka in the group of the commercial types of honey. The contents of the detected macro and microelements have shown lot of variations which confirms that the geographical origin of honey has a very important influence on its final mineral composition. The detected contents of Pb and Cd, were low, but due to the cumulative and toxic effects of these metals, it is necessary to constantly monitor the content of these pollutants in honey.