Comparison of Physico-Chemical Properties of Eight Medicinal Plant Based Honeys

Honey is a sweet and natural food that is produced by honeybees using flower nectars. Many studies have reported the powerful Antioxidant properties of honey. Therefore, it is essential to identify the constitutive ingredients and characteristics of various honeys. This report investigated some selected components, physicochemical properties of eight types of honeys according to the plant species’nectars fed by honeybees (i.e. fennel, eucalyptus, ziziphus, garden thyme, dill, alfalfa, coriander and gossypium) from different regions of Iran. The moisture, acidity, pH, colorimetric and viscosity indices of honeys were analyzed. The total phenolic content and anti-oxidant activity were analyzed by Folin–Ciocalteu and DPPH methods, respectively. The analysis revealed that the eucalyptus honey had the lowest humidity and highest viscosity index among all samples, consequently, had the highest shelf life. The ziziphus and alfalfa honeys showed the highest (85/95) and lowest (48/71) anti-oxidant activities, respectively. The dill honey had the highest phenolic content, and alfalfa honey had the lowest phenolic content. The colorimetric index showed that the dill honey was the darker and Gossypium madethe lighter honey. The high correlation coefficient between the phenolic content and antioxidant activity suggested that they could be the main effector molecules for anti-oxidative effects of the honey. There was a correlation between the honey’ color and its antioxidative effect that might be used as a visual guide for none-professional consumers who seek for honeys with higher anti-oxidative power.