ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT FLORAL ORIGIN HONEYS FROM TURKIYE

The bioactivities of phenolic extracts of nine Turkish honeys from different floral sources were investigated. The antioxidant properties of the extracts were assessed by ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assay. The total phenolic contents measured by Folin-Ciocalteau method varied from 66 to 223 mg/g extract as gallic acid equivalent. The antioxidant activities found with CUPRAC, expressed as trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, ranged from 124.8 to 532 mmol/g, those determined with DPPH center dot expressed as IC50 ranged from 84 to 296 mu g/mL, and those determined with FRAP expressed as trolox equivalent were in 33-166 mmol/g range. The antioxidant activities showed a marked correlation with total phenolics. In the antimicrobial tests using six bacteria and a yeast, Escherichia coli was moderately sensitive to each extract. There was no correlation between antimicrobial activity and total phenolic contents.