PHYSICOCHEMICAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF WILD HONEY COLLECTED AT MANGROVE AND MOUNTAIN AREAS IN SABAH, MALAYSIAN BORNEO Original Article PHILIP YAP 1 , MOHD FADZELLY ABU BAKAR 1,2 * 1 Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, 2 Received: 05 June 2014 Revised and Accepted: 15 Jul 2014 Faculty of Science, Technology and Human Development, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia. Email: mofadz@ums.edu.my ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the physicochemical, phytochemical content and antimicrobial properties of selected honey of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Methods: A standardized protocols were used to evaluate the physicochemical properties of selected honey of Sabah while the phytochemicals content (phenolics and flavonoids) were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau and aluminium colorimetric methods. Antimicrobial properties were evaluated using disc diffusion assay. Results: For 80% methanol extract, old Upper Mountain honey contained the highest free acidity, conductivity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents with the values 23.84 ± 0.42 ml/g, 0.61 ± 0.01 mS/cm, 9.71 ± 0.01 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and 7.76 ± 0.02 mg rutin equivalent (RU)/g, respectively. Antimicrobial activity showed strong inhibition by old Upper Mountain honey extract (80% methanol extract) with the value of 6.00 ± 0.01 mm at concentration of 100% against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis). The same trend of phytochemicals content and antimicrobial activity was also observed in absolute methanol extracts. Conclusion: The present results suggested that wild raw honey collected at mangrove and mountain area in Sabah contained a wide range of phytochemical compounds which has the potential for human health. Keywords: Wild honey, Physicochemical, Phytochemicals, Antimicrobials. INTRODUCTION Honey has been practically used as human domestic needs for food and sweet substance since many years ago [1]. It is a sweet natural product that produced by honey bee from floral nectar, transform through the hypopharyngeal gland that secretes enzyme and store in the honeycomb to mature [2]. Honey has been getting numerous attentions due to its ability to act as antibacterial agent [3]. Medicinal properties of honey have been documented as one of the oldest medical application [4]. Honey has been found to heal surgical wounds, burns, minor cuts, sore throats and laryngitis [5]. It is capable to sterilize the infected wound in human [6]. This is due to the moisture content, humidity and viscosity in honey that prevent the growth of bacteria on the infected wound [7]. Honey also known to display anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-proliferative and anti- carcinogenic properties[8]. The presence of hydrogen peroxide in honey has been shown to contribute to the antimicrobial properties [9]. The acidic nature form, low level of hydrogen peroxide plus the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in honey might also help in tissue growing and repairing process [10]. Previous studies suggested that enzyme glucose oxidase is responsible for the antibacterial properties of honey [11]. This enzyme might caused the nectar in the honey sac undergoes chemical changes and transformed the glucose into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide [9]. Non-peroxides compounds such as phenolic and flavonoid compounds have been shown to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria by disturbing the function of the cell membrane [12]. This is due to the fact that phenolic and flavonoid compounds possess antioxidant activities, which exerted antibacterial effect in honey [13]. Previous studies showed that phenolic and flavonoid phytochemicals in flower nectar might affect the antibacterial properties due to possible correlation with their botanical resources and origin [13]. This was supported by the difference amount of phenolic contents present in Gelam and Coconut honey which exerted a wide range of antibacterial properties that might be caused by the variation of floral sources [14]. Honey is believed to have inhibitory effect against up to 60 species of bacteria, including aerobes and anaerobes, gram-positives and gram-negatives [9]. This was supported by increasing reports on the effectiveness of honey extracts as antibacterial agent against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes [14]. However, lack of comprehensive scientific reports on honey as antibacterial agent led to problem in current modern medicine [15]. This happens due to inconsistency of honey extracts to prevent the growth of selected microorganisms [11]. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the physicochemical and phytochemicals contents, and investigate the correlation with antimicrobial properties of selected honey of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. MATERIALS AND METHODS Honey samples Four types of selected honey of Sabah, Malaysia namely; young and old Mangrove; as well as young and old Upper Mountain were collected from the west part of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Manuka honey (From New Zealand) was used as positive control while Potiukan and Tropical honey (local farm honey from mix floral resources) were also used as comparison. The difference between old and young type of Mangrove and Upper Mountain honeys were due to the duration of storage, where basically old honey was harvest and kept in for maturity since 2008 while the young honey was harvested and kept in for maturity since early 2010. Mangrove and Upper Mountain honey were collected in Kota Belud, Sabah and Pitas, Sabah coastline area; respectively. Sample extraction Samples (7 g) were diluted with 70 ml of solvent extracts (80% methanol or absolute methanol) and vacuum-filtered through a Whatmann No.5 filter paper. The filtrate was subjected to vacuum International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ISSN- 0975-1491 Vol 6, Issue 7, 2014 Innovare Academic Sciences