Sweet news to honey lovers. Two brand-new studies by scientists of the University of Illinois reveal the dietary antioxidant advantages of honey. Among the studies reveals that part of the dietary antioxidant qualities of honey has preservative homes that work on meat without jeopardizing the taste.

Based on a work done on human blood in the laboratory, a recently published study says that the dietary anti-oxidants present in honey slow the oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL). Excessive LDL in the blood causes atherosclerotic plaque deposition.

Like a previous University of Illinois research study in 1999, scientists found in both studies that dark-colored honey, particularly buckwheat, offer more protective dietary antioxidant punch than lighter-colored honeys. This shows that while it is still early to say that honey can be a dietary anti-oxidant, it does point out its large potential in regards to antioxidant residential or commercial properties.

Principal researcher Nicki Engeseth, a professor of food chemistry in the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmenal Sciences, agrees with this.

Released online on April 6 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the latest research study on dietary antioxidants was the first to look at honey’s effect on human blood. With using a far more accurate method than the one utilized in 1999, the research study discovered that the dietary antioxidants discovered in honey amount to those in numerous fruits and vegetables in their ability to counter the degenerating activity of highly reactive particles called free radicals.

“It’s still too early to state certainly, but honey appears to have prospective to work as a dietary antioxidant,” Engeseth stated.

In January, Engeseth and Jason McKibben, a scientist with Anheuser Busch in Santa Monica, CA, reported in the same journal that the dietary antioxidants in honey were more effective compared to conventional preservatives, such as butylated hydroxytoluene and tocopherol in slowing oxidation in prepared, refrigerated ground turkey. It was observed in both research studies that while the meat browned throughout cooking more extensively than traditionally preserved items, taste was not adversely affected.

For the other research study, Engeseth worked with yet another associate, Nele Gheldof, a doctoral student in the department of food science and human nutrition. They measured the dietary antioxidant and phenolic contents in honey drawn from sevel flower sources, such as acacia, buckwheat, clover, firewood, Hawaiian Christmas berry, soybean, and tupelo.

Using the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capability or ORAC assay, they discovered that darker honeys have the highest values of dietary antioxidants. ORAC is a tool that has actually been used for the past years as a way to examine the very same parts in vegetables and fruits.

Sweet news to honey enthusiasts. 2 new research studies by researchers of the University of Illinois reveal the dietary antioxidant benefits of honey. One of the research studies shows that part of the dietary antioxidant qualities of honey has preservative homes that work on meat without compromising the taste.