Assessment of Phenolic Content, Antioxidant and Anti-Aging Activities of Honey from Pittosporum undulatum Vent. Naturalized in the Azores Archipelago (Portugal)

Abstract

Pittosporum undulatum Vent. is an invasive species scattered across all of the Azores’s Islands. Identifying processes to obtain economic returns from the plant is of great interest. This work aims to evaluate honey from P. undulatum from the Azores by determining its phenolic content and biological activities, to enhance its value and equate its potential applications in the food, cosmetic, and/or pharmaceutical industries. Herein, the phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were evaluated by spectrophotometric methods. Furthermore, and for the first time, anti-aging capacity was determined in honey samples. The total phenols content revealed values from 20.82 to 112.13 mg GA/100 g, from 10.25 to 103.26 mg GA/100 g for ortho-diphenols, and from 2.94 to 40.96 mg CAT/100 g for flavonoids content. Regarding the antioxidant capacity, the values ranged from 0.05 to 2.27 mmol Trolox/100g. Concerning the anti-aging capacity, promising results were obtained, namely for tyrosinase inhibitory capacity, with values ranging between 4.36% and 9.37%, while the values of elastase inhibitory capacity ranged from 37.52% to 45.88%. This study allowed us to understand the phytochemicals and biological activities of honey from P. undulatum, enhancing the possible health benefits, namely for potential anti-aging treatment, valorizing, at the same time, a national food product.