1. Potentiating effects of honey on antioxidant properties of lemon-flavoured black tea.
- Author
-
Pereira, Carla, Barros, Lillian, Vilas-Boas, Miguel, and Ferreira, Isabel C. F. R.
- Subjects
- *
HONEY as food , *ANTIOXIDANTS , *LEMON herbs , *FLAVONOIDS , *ORGANIC acids , *VITAMIN C - Abstract
Health benefits including antioxidant potential of black tea ( Camellia sinensis), lemon ( Citrus limon) and honey bees ( Apis mellifera) have been extensively reported. Nevertheless, nothing is reported about the effects of their concomitant use. Herein, those effects were evaluated in infusions of lemon-flavoured black tea with three different kinds of honey (light amber, amber and dark amber) from Lavandula stoechas, Erica sp. pl. and other indigenous floral species from north-east Portugal, a region with high amounts of this food product. Data obtained showed that the use of honey (dark amber>amber>light amber) potentiates the antioxidant activity of lemon-flavoured black tea, increasing the reducing power and lipid peroxidation inhibition properties, as also the antioxidant contents such as phenolics, flavonoids and organic acids including ascorbic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF