Abstract: Significant differences were found in 17 free amino acids among 14 honey samples from different regions of China and different flowers. The result showed that proline was the major free amino acid and constituted over 65.27% of total free amino acids, averaging at about 349.829 mg/kg in the honey samples. The antioxidant ability of honeys was evaluated by NO2－ · radical scavenging assay. The results obtained showed that all the honey samples had antioxidant activity, with an EC50 ranging from (0.55±0.021) to (0.25±0.034) g/mL. Among these samples, longan honey from Guangxi had the highest antioxidant ability. Correlation analysis revealed that the antioxidant ability of honeys was correlated with proline content and the contents of 17 total free amino acid, with R＝0.7513 and R＝0.8051 respectively. Conclusion: Free amino acids in honeys are positively correlated with NO2－ · radical scavenging activity. As a known functional food, honey may have more health benefits than previously reported and more attention should be paid to it for its full utilization.

Key words: honey, free amino acids, antioxidant ability, functional foods