Quantification of bioactive components and evaluation of antioxidative potential of different floral origin honey from arid regions of Oman

Abstract

This preliminary study was undertaken to evaluate and compare the physicochemical properties, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and in vitro antioxidant activity of 22 types of monofloral and heterofloral Omani honey. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified colorimetrically while antioxidant activity was evaluated by 1,1 diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay method. Our result clearly shows significant variations among honey samples for all evaluated parameters. Monofloral honey from Salalah, Samail, and Al-Khaboora showed good inhibition of DPPH radicals. The highest amount of total phenol was found in monofloral honey from Al-Dahirah while the highest amount of flavonoid was observed in a monofloral variety from Salalah. A direct relationship between phenol, flavonoid and inhibition of DPPH was also observed. It can be concluded that the monofloral types of honey can be considered particularly useful for human nutrition because of their high phenolic and flavonoid contents which are known for their antioxidant activity.