Food Science and Technology 13(2): 220-225, 2025 http://www.hrpub.org
DOI: 10.13189/fst.2025.130210
Chemical Characterization and Phenolic Content of
Jordanian Honey Samples - Phenolic and Chemical
Profile of Jordanian Honey
Shatha Sabri Hammad
*
, Hamed R. Takruri, Khalid Al-Ismail, Mahmoud Jabir
Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Jordan
Received March 13, 2025; Revised May 7, 2025; Accepted June 10, 2025
Cite This Paper in the Following Citation Styles
(a): [1] Shatha Sabri Hammad, Hamed R. Takruri, Khalid Al-Ismail, Mahmoud Jabir , "Chemical Characterization and
Phenolic Content of Jordanian Honey Samples - Phenolic and Chemical Profile of Jordanian Honey," Food Science
and Technology, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 220 - 225, 2025. DOI: 10.13189/fst.2025.130210.
(b): Shatha Sabri Hammad, Hamed R. Takruri, Khalid Al-Ismail, Mahmoud Jabir (2025). Chemical Characterization
and Phenolic Content of Jordanian Honey Samples - Phenolic and Chemical Profile of Jordanian Honey. Food Science
and Technology, 13(2), 220 - 225. DOI: 10.13189/fst.2025.130210.
Copyright©2025 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the
terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License
Abstract Purpose: Honey is a natural product known
for its nutritional, therapeutic, and antioxidant properties,
largely attributed to its phenolic compounds. The botanical
source of honey is a major determinant of its nutritional
and phytochemical composition. Jordan, with its diverse
flora and climate, produces unique honey types with
potentially distinct chemical and phenolic profiles;
however, very little information is known about the
phenolic content of the main Jordanian honey types.
Therefore, this study aimed to provide a detailed
characterization of honey samples from common honey
types in Jordan. Methods: A registered honey beekeeper
collected five types of honey in the spring of 2023 from
colonies throughout Jordan. The contents of moisture,
sugar, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and
2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) were determined
in these common types of Jordanian honey. Results:
Significant variations were detected in the levels of
fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, total phenolics, total
flavonoids, and antioxidant scavenging activity. Ziziphus
had the highest total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and
antioxidant capacity, 66.92±2.96 mg/100g, 3.36±0.16
mg/100g, and 94.34±1.09 DPPH, respectively. Also,
significant correlations were observed between the total
phenolic content and antioxidant activity and between the
total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity across the
five types of honey samples. Conclusion: The common
types of honey varied in their chemical and functional
properties, which could influence consumer preferences
and the selection for medicinal purposes. The findings of
this study can be helpful for regulatory bodies to verify the
quality, purity, and botanical origin of honey types. Also,
research institutions and health industries can utilize the
findings to develop functional foods and therapeutic
products.
Keywords Antioxidant Activity, DPPH, Total
Phenolic Compounds, Flavonoids, Sugar
Abbreviations DPPH:2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl;
HMF: hydroxymethylfurfural
1. Introduction
Honey is a unique mixture of compounds, including
many nutrients that are not available in any other sugar
material. The nutritional composition of honey is affected
by many factors, including the botanical and geographical
origin, the intensity of nectar flow, the climatic conditions,
the beekeepers’ manipulations, the handling and packing
procedure, the time and conditions of storage [1-3]. The
effect of geographical location is considered a major
determinant of the nutritional composition of honey, which
appears in the regulations of Codex and the European