Integrated Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography-Quadruple Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics Reveal Possible Metabolites Related to Antioxidant Activity in Stingless Bee Honey

• Published in: Food analytical methods 2022-11, Vol.15 (11), p.3209-3224
• Main Authors: Shamsudin, Sharina, Selamat, Jinap, Sanny, Maimunah, Jambari, Nuzul Noorahya, Sukor, Rashidah, Salleh, Noor Aidawati, Aziz, Muhamad Faris Ab, Khatib, Alfi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Antioxidants; Apis mellifera; Bees; Biological activity; Chemical compounds; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Chromatography; Food Science; Gas chromatography; Gluconic acid; Honey; Inositol; Inositols; Liquid chromatography; Maltose; Mannitol; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolites; Metabolomics; Microbiology; Scientific imaging; Spectroscopy
• ISSN: 1936-9751; 1936-976X
• DOI: 10.1007/s12161-022-02271-w

Stingless bee honey is a complex mixture of natural compounds. Therefore, the metabolite profile of stingless bee honey from different botanical origins (acacia, starfruit, gelam) and Apis mellifera honey was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography-quadruple time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). Then, the orthogonal partial least square (OPLS) model was performed to classify the honey samples according to the chemical constituents and identify compounds related to antioxidant activity. Gelam honey was found to have a strong correlation with the bioactivity of honey (IC 50 and FRAP) and considered a more active sample than acacia, starfruit, and Apis mellifera honey. Seven compounds with antioxidant properties were identified using GC–MS, namely, pinitol, mannitol, myo-inositol, gluconic acid, glucose, fructose, and maltose. Meanwhile, LC-QTOF-MS identified five compounds which were 3-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyloxolan-2-one, 2-(hydroxymethyl)-1-methyl-3,4,5-piperidinetriol, 3-carboxy-2,3-dideoxy-pentaric acid, 3-phenyl-2-propenoic acid phenylmethyl ester, and 1,3-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-propen-1-one. The OPLS results showed that all compounds were positively correlated to the antioxidant activity of the honey. This is the first study that used an untargeted metabolomics approach to determine possible metabolites related to antioxidant activity in stingless bee honey. This study contributed significantly to broaden the knowledge of stingless bee honey compounds related to antioxidant activity.