Malaysian stingless bee and Tualang honeys: A comparative characterization of total antioxidant capacity and phenolic profile using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

This study aims to examine and compare the phenolic profile and antioxidant properties of two kinds of honey: Stingless bee honey (Kelulut honey) and Tualang honeys. Using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, a total of eighteen phenolic acids and flavonoids have been identified in Kelulut honey samples. The phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity (three assays: DPPH, ABTS, and ORAC) for Kelulut and Tualang honeys were evaluated and statistically estimated. There was a significant (p < 0.05) phenolic content (228.09 ± 7.9-235.28 ± 0.6 mg gallic acid equivalent per kg) and flavonoid content (97.88 ± 10.1-101.5 ± 11.4 mg catechin equivalent per kg) in Kelulut honey samples. The Kelulut honey samples have demonstrated a significantly stronger antioxidant capacity than Tualang honey samples. The correlations between antioxidant results and polyphenols content were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). This research is the first to report data on phenolic profile and total antioxidant capacity of Kelulut honey. Our data suggest that Kelulut honey has prominent medical properties and could be exploited as a natural nutraceutical to treat free radical associated diseases.