title: Honey collected from different floras of Chandigarh Tricity: a comparative study involving physicochemical parameters and biochemical activities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Different monofloral honeys have a distinctive flavor and color because of differences in physicochemical parameters because of their principal nectar sources or floral types.
  
  
  METHODS
  Honey samples were collected from Apis mellifera colonies forged on 10 floras to analyze the quality of honey in terms of standards laid by Honey Grading and Marking Rules (HGMR), India, 2008 and Codex Alimentarious Commission (CAC), 1969 . The honey samples were analyzed for various physicochemical parameters of honey quality control, i.e., pH, total acidity, moisture, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, total sugars, water insoluble solids (WIS), ash content, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural content, and diastase value. The antioxidant potential was estimated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Further, honey samples were assayed for antibacterial activities against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using the hole-plate diffusion method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The physicochemical variation in the composition of honey because of floral source shows Ziziphus honey with high pH and diastase values along with low acidity, whereas Helianthus honey contained high reducing sugar and low moisture content. Amomum, Brassica, Acacia, and Citrus contained lowest amount of non-reducing sugars, ash, WIS, and moisture, respectively. Lowest 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) value was detected in Amomum honey, while highest HMF value was observed with Eucalyptus. The maximum antibacterial and antioxidant potential was observed in Azadirachta and Citrus, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The quality of honey produced by local beekeepers met HGMR and CAC standards, and the chemical composition and biological properties of honey were dependent on the floral source from which it was produced.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Advanced Phytochemical Screening, Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Rajpura, Patiala, Punjab, India. pradeep.kumar@chitkara.edu.in
authors.forename: Pradeep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Rakesh K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Sindhu
authors.forename: Shridhar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Narayan
authors.forename: Inderbir
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000681:Amylases / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D031601:Azadirachta; D001516:Bees; D002957:Citrus; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000032:analysis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry; D005662:Furaldehyde / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D006722:Honey / Q000032:analysis*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000737:chemistry*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D014867:Water; C008046:5-hydroxymethylfurfural; D005662:Furaldehyde; D000681:Amylases