Phenolic Acid and Flavonoid Composition of Malaysian Honeys

In the present study, the phenolic acid and flavonoid composition of eight different honeys (acacia, pineapple, gelam, longan, borneo, rubber tree, sourwood and tualang honeys) originating from different regions of Malaysia are reported. Solid phase extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for their identification and quantification. A total of thirteen different phenolic compounds consisting of seven flavonoids and six phenolic acids were investigated. Among these phenolic compounds, five phenolic acids (gallic, caffeic, coniferic, benzoic and trans-cinnamic acids) and five flavonoids (catechin, myricetin, naringenin, hesperetin and kaempferol) were detected in the investigated honeys. Longan and tualang honeys contained the highest number (n = 7 for each) of phenolic compounds, while only five phenolic compounds were detected in acacia, borneo and rubber tree honeys. Among the phenolic acids, benzoic acid was the most abundant (75%) followed by caffeic acid, catechin, myricetin, gallic acid and naringenin. The mean concentrations of caffeic, gallic and benzoic acids as well as catechin in the analyzed Malaysian honeys were 2.49, 0.81, 0.64 and 0.61 mg/kg, respectively. Overall, our results indicate that the investigated Malaysian honeys are a good source of different types of phenolic acids and flavonoids, which are important antioxidants. Practical Applications: The study provides an overview on phenolic and flavonoid composition of several types of Malaysian honeys. The phenolic composition of some honeys from Malaysia is reported for the first time in this study. The data can be useful for future in vivo studies that involve evaluation of honey's medicinal properties and provide an insight into the type of honey in Malaysia that contains high antioxidant properties. In addition, the sample preparation technique (solid phase extraction) used in this study can provide a basis for the extraction of similar phenolic compounds in other types of honey.