Honey collected from different floras of Chandigarh Tricity: a comparative study involving physicochemical parameters and biochemical activities.

摘要

Different monofloral honeys have a distinctive flavour and colour due to differences in physicochemical parameters because of their principal nectar sources or floral types. Honey samples were collected from Apis mellifera colonies forged on 10 floras to analyse the quality of honey in terms of standards laid by Honey Grading and Marking Rules (HGMR), India, 2008 and Codex Alimentarious Commission (CAC), 1969. The honey samples were analysed for various physicochemical parameters of honey quality control, i.e., pH, total acidity, moisture, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, total sugars, water insoluble solids (WIS), ash content, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content and diastase value. The antioxidant potential was estimated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Furthermore, honey samples were assayed for antibacterial activities against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using the hole-plate diffusion method. The physicochemical variation in the composition of honey because of floral source showed Ziziphus honey to have high pH and diastase values along with low acidity, whereas Helianthus honey contained high reducing sugar and low moisture contents. Amomum, Brassica, Acacia and Citrus contained the lowest amounts of non-reducing sugars, ash, WIS and moisture, respectively. Lowest HMF value was detected in Amomum honey, while highest HMF value was observed with Eucalyptus. The max. antibacterial and antioxidant potentials were observed in Azadirachta and Citrus, respectively. It is concluded that the quality of honey produced by local beekeepers met HGMR and CAC standards, and that the chemical composition and biological properties of honey were dependent on the floral source from which it was produced.