Physicochemical properties of chestnut honey vinegars enriched with pollen and propolis, and their analyses of mineral, colour, and antioxidant activity

Honey vinegar is little known in Turkey, while pollen- or propolis-added honey vinegar is yet to be found. Therefore, the objectives of the present work were to produce chestnut honey vinegar enriched with pollen and propolis, and to analyse their physicochemical compositions, mineral contents, colours, and antioxidant activities. Eleven different honey vinegars were produced using various methods. There were significant increases in the total antioxidant activity of both pollen- and propolis-enriched vinegars, with 73 and 56% increases, respectively, compared to plain honey vinegar, and these increases were more than twice that of grape vinegar. The ferric-reducing activity and phenolic content of vinegar enriched with propolis increased by 43 and 52%, respectively, compared to plain honey vinegar, and more than threefold compared to grape vinegar. Principal component analysis revealed a strong positive correlation among all antioxidant tests and the most significant components, including antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content. The colour difference was determined as follows: 5 < total colour difference (∆E*ab). All vinegar samples exhibited highly variable physicochemical properties. High amounts of Na, K, Mg, and Ca were also detected. Vinegar samples containing pollen and propolis are suitable under the Turkish Food Codex legislation. The findings of the present work would encourage the production of honey vinegar enriched with pollen and propolis, as well as increase attention to honey vinegar.