EVALUATION OF PHYSIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF NIGELLA HONEY FROM SHARIATPUR, BANGLADESH: A COMPARISON WITH INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY STANDARDS OF HONEY

Abstract

Honey is a complex mixture of a variety of ingredients. The intent of the current study is to characterize the physical, chemical and biochemical properties of Nigella honey obtained from Shariatpur district of Bangladesh and also compare those features with the international standards set up by Codex, EU and International Honey Commission (IHC) in prospect of export to global market. The selected physiochemical parameters included, moisture, color, pH, total acidity, free lactone, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, protein, total sugar and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content all of which were analyzed using standard laboratory methods. The moisture content was 18.35%, color identified as dark brown/amber (131mm), pH was 4, total acidity was 42.5 meq/kg, total protein content was 2%, total sugar content was 70%, HMF content was 32.48 mg/kg, electrical conductivity was found to be 1.2mS/cm and total dissolved solids was 826 ppm. The overall quality of Nigella honey sample appeared acceptable and matched with international standards