Comb honey and processed honey of Croton macrostachyus and Schefflera abyssinica honey differentiated by enzymes and antioxidant properties, and botanical origin

In this study, comb and industrially processed honey samples collected from Bonga forest were investigated in relation to Melissopalynology and enzyme content, antioxidant and physicochemical properties. Melissopalynology categorized honey samples as Croton macrostachyus and Schefflera abyssinica honey. The physicochemical properties of the honey were determined using the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) and International Honey Commission (IHC) methods. The enzymatic and antioxidant properties of honey were evaluated using the spectrophotometric method. The highest enzyme activity was observed in Croton macrostachyus comb honey (diastase = 7.44 +/- 0.13 degrees Schade and invertase = 13.97 +/- 0.2 Invertase number (IN). Croton macrostachyus processed honey exhibited the highest values in flavonoids (83.36 +/- 1.65 mg Catechin equivalents (CEQ)/100g)), Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (69.94 +/- 1.0 mg Ascorbic acid equivalents (AAE)/100g), and Inhibitory Concentration (IC50) (136.3 +/- 0.00 mg/ml), while Schefflera abyssinica comb honey had stronger 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging (DPPH) (49.47 +/- 0.00%) activity. The principal component analysis revealed that enzymes can be associated with comb honey, and antioxidants with processed honey. Thus, comb and processed honey can be differentiated based on the enzyme level, and Croton macrostachyus and Schefflera abyssinica honey can be identified using pollen analysis.

Automated summary

In this study, the comb and industrially processed honey samples collected from Bonga forest were analyzed in terms of Melissopalynology, enzyme content, antioxidant properties, and physicochemical properties. The study found that enzymes were associated with comb honey, while antioxidants were associated with processed honey. Croton macrostachyus and Schefflera abyssinica honey could be identified using pollen analysis.