Optical Activity, Total Phenolic Content and Color Intensity of Nectarian Honey and Honeydew (Published)
Honey is an extraordinary product from beehives that produce bees from nectar and other sugary substances originating from different plants.43 Worldwide honey is considered to be part of traditional medicine. 44,45,46 Nectar honey bees are made from nectar, a sweet solution secreted by the plant glands of nectarine. They can be monofloral and polyfloral. Honeydew most often originates from coniferous (fir, spruce, pine, larch) and deciduous (oak, beech, linden) trees. In this study, the analysis of optical activity, total polyphenol content, antioxidant activity and color of nectar honey and honeydew species was performed. The results show that due to the higher content of fructose, nectar honey rotates the plane of polarized light to the left, it shows negative optical activity, whereas because of the higher content of oligosaccharides, mainly melecitosis and erlose, the honeydew turns light to the right, ie. shows positive optical activity. These studies confirmed the high correlation coefficient between antioxidant activity of honey, color and total polyphenols content. The analyzed honeydew honey samples have on average a higher content of polyphenols, and an overall antioxidant capacity than nectar honey samples.
Keywords: color, honey, honeydew, nectarian, optical activity, phenolic content