Evaluation of the antioxidant potential of the mad honey collected from the black sea region in Turkey

Objective: Mad honey (Rhododendron honey) is produced by honeybees from Rhododendron flowers and contains grayanotoxins, antioxidants, flavonoid and phenolic properties. The mad honey samples are collected from Turkey's Black Sea region by local residents and are sold as mad honey in free market conditions. This study was planned to evaluate the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and total antioxidant capacity and protein profiles with SDS-Page electrophoresis determined the mad honey samples collected from seven different locations from Black Sea region by local residents. Material and Method: Total phenolic content was determined by the modified Folin-Ciocalteu method. Total flavonoid content was determined by colorimetric method using aluminum chloride (AlCl3). Total antioxidant activity was calculated according to the free radical scavenging effect of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH). Protein profiles evaluated with SDS-Page electrophoresis. Results and Conclusions: In Turkey, in the Black Sea Region, antioxidant potential of the honey samples known as mad honey, collected from seven different locations by local people, were evaluated. The mean total phenolic contents of the mad honey samples were found as 285,44±118,43 (125.85 to 471.18) mg GAE/kg honey, the mean total antioxidant activities were found as 29,68±7,2 (21.71 to 35.03) mg AAE/kg honey and the mean total flavonoid contents were found as 27,26±4,79 (19.93 to 39.18) mg QE/kg honey. The results revealed that the mad honey samples examined in this study were a good source of antioxidant, flavonoid and phenolic content at varying levels depending on the characteristics of the region where they were collected.