The effect of honey harvest season on its physicochemical, microbial and antioxidant properties

Honey is a natural sweet substance that the bee collects, treats it from the floral nectar and stores it
in honeycombs. Honey harvest season, climatic conditions, source of nectar and its processing have an
important influence on the quality, composition and biochemical characteristics of honey. The purpose of
this research is to determine the effect of honey harvest season on the physico-chemical, antioxidant and
microbial properties of natural honey. Therefore honey samples were collected from three cities Kashmar,
Shirvan and Neishabor in Khorasan province in two different seasons, spring and autumn. The samples of
the honey were pure and were made from natural flowers in the region. The results showed that spring honey
samples with a moisture content (16.6%) and brix (81.36%) had the highest and lowest moisture content and
brix degree respectively and the autumn honey samples had moisture content (15.08%) and brix (83.33%).
Also, spring honey with a color intensity of 0.005%, had a brighter color than the autumn samples. Also,
spring honey had more phenolic compounds (0.067 mg/kg honey) and higher antioxidant and antibacterial
properties (respectively 61.1856, 100%) than the fall samples with phenolic compounds (0.033 mg/kg
honey) and antioxidant and antibacterial properties (respectively 35.5332 and 44.44%). All honey samples
did not contain sulfite reducing bacteria that indicated correct hygienic management in honey processing and
showed good microbial quality of honey samples