Abstract
The physical properties, total phenols, total flavonoid content and free radical scavenging activities of honey samples from Malaysia were investigated. The physical properties of Tualang, Gelam and Acacia honey samples, in terms of pH, color, moisture, electrical conductivity and total soluble solid were significantly different (p = 0.000). Gelam honey was reported to have the highest total phenols (606.17 mg GAE/kg honey) and flavonoid content (183.43 mg RE/kg honey). Tualang honey was reported to have the highest free radical scavenging activity with the IC50, 72.75 g/L compared to Gelam (77.41 g/L) and Acacia (90.83 g/L). There is no significant difference has been revealed among honey samples for radical scavenging activity (p = 0.827). Nevertheless, strong correlation was obtained between pH, color, electrical conductivity and total soluble solid with the scavenging activity of all honey samples with the correlative coefficient, r = 0.979, 0.902, 0.917 and 0.957, respectively. The establishment of the statistical correlation could be useful for honey related industry.
Highlights
Honey is a natural food source that widely used as a traditional medicine
The pH values for Malaysian honey reported by Khalil et al [13]] was slightly higher, which ranged from 3.44 to 3.89 compared to the pH values reported by Alqarni et al [14]
The values of phenolic and flavonoid contents in honey samples were in close agreement with the results reported by Meda et al [25] and Yao et al [26]
Summary
Honey is a natural food source that widely used as a traditional medicine. To the best of our knowledge, more than 200 substances including complex sugar and small amount of other substances have been found in honey. The common types of honey found in lowland rain forest of Peninsular Malaysia are Tualang and Gelam honey, originates from Tualang (Koompassia excels) and Gelam (Melaleuca cajuputi) trees. Another common source of honey in Malaysia is Acacia honey and this honey is available all over the world with different physical and chemical characteristics. Honey is widely used as antioxidant to reduce the risk of heart disorder, cancer and to increase the immune system [1]. There are studies reported that the botanical origin is the critical factor influencing the antioxidant activity of honey [4,5]
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