Characterisation and Quantification of Phenolic Compounds in Honeys from Sierra Nevada (Granada)

Abstract

Some of the properties that have been attributed to honey are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects, especially due to its content of bioactive compounds, mainly phenolic compounds (PCs), whose content varies greatly depending on the variety, origin, agronomic conditions, harvest season, and climate. The aim of the present study is to characterise 21 honeys from Sierra Nevada (Granada). High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) was used. Mass accuracy and true isotopic patterns in both MS and MS/MS spectra enabled the tentative identification of 58 PCs, including flavonoids, phenolic acids and derivatives. The average content of PCs was 83.01 ± 16.36 µg/g, with flavonoids accounting for more than 85%. The most abundant compounds were naringenin (16.88 ± 3.15 µg/g), pinocembrin (12.33 ± 2.92 µg/g), chrysin (12.21 ± 2.09 µg/g), carnosol (9.52 ± 2.90 µg/g), galangin (5.41 ± 1.68 µg/g), and apigenin (5.24 ± 0.89 µg/g). Due to this interesting composition, more studies are necessary to determine if the extreme environmental conditions of Sierra Nevada cause abiotic stress in the plants located there, fostering this concentration of PCs.