Polyfloral honey from urban beekeeping: Two-year case study of polyphenols profile and antioxidant activity

Purpose - Urban beekeeping is spreading as an answer to promote bee conservation and to develop local economies. This study aims to highlight nutritional properties of polyfloral honeys produced in urban landscape and to compare them to the countryside counterparts. Design/methodology/approach - This research has examined polyfloral urban honeys from a restricted area in Central Italy, for antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and 15 polyphenols profile. Physicochemical parameters have been also determined to assess the overall quality of the samples. Results were compared with polyfloral honeys produced in surrounding countryside and monitored in two harvest years, 2018 and 2019. Principal Component Analysis was applied on the data to disclose significant differences among honeys and harvest years. Findings - Urban honeys revealed up to 3-fold higher total amount of polyphenols respect to rural honeys, and in the 2019 harvest, despite water scarcity affected the national production, demonstrated also 50% higher antioxidant capacity and total phenolics content. The majority of the 15 polyphenols studied resulted more abundant in urban honeys, in particular in the 2019 harvest. The multivariate analysis evidenced how honeys could be successfully separated according to their production area and harvest year by their different polyphenols profile. Originality/value - Limited data are available on urban honeys nutritional properties and on their content in antioxidants. The present results suggest that the cultivated urban environment, with its large floral biodiversity, can provide extra nutrition for bees resulting in the production of a honey rich in nutraceutical compounds.