DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v26i6.194

Keywords: Acacia; processed; stingless bee honey; physicochemical; properties

Abstract

The quality of acacia stingless bee honey, whether raw honey (RH) or processed honey (PH 1 and PH 2), is a vital factor in determining its overall value. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity, rheological behavior, and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy of RH, PH 1, and PH 2 collected from the nectar of Malaysian acacia trees by the Heterotrigona itama species. The Malaysian Standard for Stingless Bee Honey and the International Codex Standard were met by standardizing the physicochemical properties, which included pH, free acidity, moisture content, insoluble matter, ash content, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and sugar content. The results revealed that the HMF values in PH 1 and PH 2 exceed the maximum limits, possibly due to temperature fluctuations during the heating process. The antioxidant properties indicated that PH 1 exhibits the highest total phenolic content at 109 ± 7.109 mg GAE/g and total flavonoid content at 28.55 ± 4.173 mg QUE/g compared to RH. The rheological behavior of PH 1 and PH 2 demonstrated Newtonian flow behavior, while RH displayed dilatant behavior. Furthermore, the ATR-FTIR spectroscopy analysis revealed differences in chemical structures and specific functional groups among RH, PH 1, and PH 2. The study indicates that processing stingless bee honey significantly impacts its quality and freshness.