IDENTIFICATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF HONEY FROM FIRE BEES

Abstract

Honey is a natural product that has many benefits, one of which is in the health sector. The composition of honey is very diverse and depends on the type of honey and the region of origin. Bioactive compounds in honey including phenolics and flavonoids cause honey to have antioxidant activity. This study aims to identify honey bees, determine the chemical properties of honey based on the parameters of water content, acidity, and reducing sugar, and analyze the antioxidant activity and phenolic and flavonoid content of honey from Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park Riau and Prabumulih South Sumatra. The research was conducted from June 2022 to March 2023 at the Integrated Laboratory Center of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta. The methods used were morphological identification of bees, testing three parameters of honey chemical properties, DPPH antioxidant test to obtain IC50 (Inhibition consenteration) values, and testing total phenolic and flavonoid levels. The identified bees are A. dorsata and A. mellifera. Based on the results of the determination of water content, acidity, and reducing sugar, both honeys fulfill SNI 8664:2018 except for the reducing sugar of A. dorsata honey which is less than 65%. A. dorsata honey has antioxidant activity with a higher IC50 value (590 mg/L) than A. mellifera honey (678 mg/L). Total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC), of A. mellifera honey were 7.51 mg GAE/g and 0.06 mg QE/g, respectively. Higher than A. dorsata honey which is 3.35 mg GAE/g and 0.42 mg QE/g.