Comparison of physicochemical, total protein and antioxidant profiles between Malaysian apis and trigona honeys

Abstract

The properties of honeys are highly influenced by botanical sources, geographical origins, seasonal, processing, and bee species. The aims of this study are to characterize and compare the physicochemical, total phenolic, total flavonoids, total protein and antioxidant profiles between several Malaysian Apis and Trigona honeys. pH, free acidity, total soluble solids, ash content, electrical conductivity, density, colour, hydroxymethylfurfural and sugar content were the observed physicochemical parameters. All honey samples were also analyzed for their total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC) and protein contents, DPPH radical scavenging and total antioxidant activities. The physicochemical results of Malaysian Apis and Trigona honeys were noticeably different in terms of free acidity and electrical conductivity (EC), with extremely high free acidity (271.1 – 553.2 meq/kg) and higher EC (0.92 – 1.29 mS/cm) were observed for the latter. The results from TPC (60.21 mg GAE/100 g), TFC (65.86 mg QE/100 g), DPPH radical scavenging IC50 (10.57 mg/mL) and total antioxidant activities (713.82 µM Fe(II)) revealed that Trigona K1 honey was rich with polyphenols and other antioxidants compared to other Trigona and Apis honeys. It can be concluded from the present study that Malaysian Trigona honeys have distinguished physicochemical and antioxidant profiles than Apis honeys.