Antioxidant Capacity of Honey Enriched by Wildflowers

Abstract

The study objective was a comparative analysis of rapeseed and multifloral honey enriched by flowers of six plant species: lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis L.), high mallow (Malva sylvestris L.), cowslip primrose (Primula veris L.), coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara L.), lawn daisy (Bellis perennis L.), and black elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.). The honey was enriched with dry flowers and plant extracts at a level of 1%, 2%, and 4% (w/w). Antioxidant capacity was measured via two different methods: DPPH and ABTS assay. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were determined using colorimetric methods. The highest radical scavenging capacity determined by the DPPH assay was observed in rapeseed honey with a 4% dried cowslip primrose (Primula veris L.) flower addition, which was more than 50 times higher than the activity for pure rapeseed honey. Almost 100% of the radical scavenging capacity was found for rapeseed and multifloral honeys with cowslip primrose (Primula veris L.), especially for the 4% dried flower addition, more than six times that of the control samples measured using the ABTS test. Multifloral honeys enriched with black elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) and cowslip primrose (Primula veris L.), with a 2% and 4% plant material addition, both as an extract and as dried flowers, were characterised by the highest total phenolic content. The highest enrichment effectiveness was observed for dried flowers of lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis L.), black elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.), and high mallow (Malva sylvestris L.), where the flavonoid content increased more than nine times compared to the honey samples without additions. The content of biologically active substances in honey enriched with flowers gives hope for new applications of the health-promoting substances contained in wild plants.