Quality assessment of Nigerian honey sourced from different floral locations

Abstract

Comparative studies on the quality of honey obtained from different floral locations in Nigeria were investigated. Parameters such as physical properties, chemical, mineral, microbial contents and antimicrobial activity as well as organoleptic quality were evaluated. The results of the physico-chemical properties show the following range of values for acidity (1.36 – 1.55%), soluble solids (80.96 – 82.00%), specific gravity (1.41 – 1.44) and sweetness index (52.52 – 62.73). While the proximate values were: moisture (15.69 – 18.41%), protein (0.90 – 1.15%), fat (0.12 – 0.21%), ash (0.26 – 0.38%) and carbohydrate (79.94 – 82.71%). Potassium (55.31 mg/100 g) and calcium (5.14 mg/100 g) were the dominant minerals in the honey samples. The highest microbial count was observed in sample NSK (1.4±0.14 x 102 cfu/100 g). There were no observable coliform growths in all the samples. All the honey samples exhibited antibacterial activities with clear zones that range from 2.05 – 6.10 mm. Honey samples KAD and ABJ had the best overall acceptance scores of 8.49 and 8.27 respectively.

Keywords: Honey, proximate, mineral, antibacterial, organoleptic.