Potentiation of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in Artisanal Honeys Using Specific Heat Treatments

The effect of temperature on the phenol content, flavonoids content, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS) in five artisanal honeys of different floral origins was investigated. The total phenol and total flavonoid content showed either linear or quadratic curves (P<0.05) for heat treatment according to the origin of the honey. For HMF, all of the honeys displayed linear behavior with the heat treatments. All of the honeys had linear responses to temperature (P<0.05) and antioxidant activity as measured by DPPH. The antioxidant activity measured as the ABTS showed either a linear or quadratic (P<0.05) curve response depending on the floral origin. The profile of the correlation coefficients between the bioactive compounds (phenols, flavonoids and HMF) and antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS) was different for each type of honey. It is possible to enhance the antioxidant activity of artisanal honeys with a specific heat treatment. Practical ApplicationsCurrently, nutraceuticals use honey for its antioxidant activity. It is important to preserve and improve these properties for the consumer during the processing of honey. In this study, it was found that each honey should be heat treated specifically because each honey has different bioactive compounds according to its floral origin. For some honeys, the thermal behavior of the bioactive compounds and the antioxidant activity was quadratic, with the greatest activity at 70C, whereas for other honeys, the behavior was linear, with the highest bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity at 80C. To enhance the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of artisanal honeys, each honey should be treated at a different temperature depending on their linear or quadratic behavior.