Phytochemical and antioxidant properties of Gelam and Nenas Honey / Nor Fazirah Rozali

Gelam and Nenas honey are Malaysian wild monofloral honeys and were named according to their floral sources. Both honeys had been reported to have therapeutic properties and beneficial effects to human health. The information on the phytochemical and antioxidant properties of Gelam and Nenas honey with its potential use as a natural antioxidant agent or supplement are still scarce. Hence, the present study was aimed to investigate the phytochemical and antioxidant properties of Gelam and Nenas honey. Total phenolic and flavonoid content of selected honeys were determined spectrophotometrically. The antioxidant properties were measured using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing power (FRAP) assays. The total phenolic content of Gelam honey was 21.162 ± 0.0296 mg GAE/kg while Nenas honey was 28.767 ± 0.0553 mg GAE/kg. The flavonoid content of Gelam honey was 2.911 ± 0.0003 mg QE/kg while Nenas honey was 2.897 ± 0.0017 mg QE/kg. Gelam and Nenas honey were able to scavenge DPPH with the IC50 = 1.352 ± 0.011 mg/mL and 3.261 ± 0.012 mg/mL, respectively. The reducing power value of Gelam and Nenas honey were 0.27 ± 0.035 mg/mL and 0.39 ± 0.014 mg/mL, respectively. In conclusion, the presence of phytochemical compounds in Gelam and Nenas honey may contribute to their antioxidant activities that could be very useful as a source of antioxidants.