Abstract

RODRIGUEZ M, Antonio J; PEREZ P, Elizabeth M  and  VIT, Patricia. Capacidad antioxidante de mieles venezolanas de los géneros Apis, Melipona y Tetragonisca, evaluada por tres métodos. INHRR [online]. 2007, vol.38, n.2, pp.13-18. ISSN 0798-0477.

The use of honey in traditional and complementary/alternative medicine needs evidence to explain the bioactive properties of this product from the hive. The analytical techniques of the Codex Alimentarius Commission for safety and trading quality control purposes, are not sufficient to differentiate this apparently homogeneus but complex bee product. In this work, the antioxidant capacity of Apis, Melipona and Trigona honey from Venezuela, was measured within three oxidative systems, to test the effectiveness of honey at scavenging superoxide anion (O2^●-) formation, hydroxyl radical (OH^●) formation and benzoate degradation (AOA). All the diluted genuine honey samples showed higher antioxidant capacity indicators than those of artificial honey and the mild antioxidant control lipoic acid. However, melatonin and quercetin, the potent antioxidant controls used here, were better scavengers than genuine honeys in the OH^● and the AOA assays, which are hydroxyl radical generating systems. This is the first time that AOA is used to determine the honey antioxidant capacity. Besides its use to measure bioactive properties, the antioxidant capacity indicators used here could also become a test to control adulterated honey. The entomological origin was not related to the antioxidant properties of honey

Keywords : Antioxidant; Apis; honey; hydroxyl radical; superoxide anion; Tetragonisca.