Polyphenols in New Zealand Honey and Propolis

1. Why polyphenols matter in honey and propolis

Mānuka honey is more than methylglyoxal (MGO) or leptosperin. Kānuka honey is more than arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs). Both honeys carry a wider mix of phenolic acids and flavonoids that add to their chemistry and, in published studies, to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

People have long used honey for more than sweetness: on wounds, for digestion, and on skin, where it also works as a humectant. Phenolic acids and flavonoids are part of the chemistry behind that wider use; they can help counter oxidative stress from free radicals. That is one reason polyphenol rich honeys, including several New Zealand natives, alongside Sidr, Jarrah, chestnut and honeydew types overseas attract research interest. New Zealand propolis is a different matrix again. It is plant resin processed by the bee, not nectar, and it is rich in pinocembrin, chrysin, galangin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE).

Common phenolic acids such as gallic, caffeic, p-coumaric, salicylic and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid are present in honeys worldwide. New Zealand native honeys add a more specific set: 3-phenyllactic acid, 4-methoxyphenyllactic acid, methyl syringate, lumichrome, leptosperin, p-anisic acid and more.

A bee foraging on the mānuka flowers

2. Floral origin writes the phenolic fingerprint

All honeys and propolis contain polyphenols. Amounts and ratios change with floral source, and to a lesser extent with region and season. That is why a named-compound profile is more useful than a generic “antioxidant honey” claim.

What the literature, and our own work, supports:

• Kānuka: Elevated 4-methoxyphenyllactic acid, methyl syringate, lumichrome and p-anisic acid. It shares 3-phenyllactic acid with mānuka.

• Mānuka: 2-methoxybenzoic acid and leptosperin as well-known markers, alongside phenolics such as gallic acid, quercetin, kaempferol and naringenin.

• Thyme: In our analyses, New Zealand thyme honey has a diverse profile that includes 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, thymohydroquinone, and carotenoid-derived norisoprenoids such as blumenol A and B.

• Beech honeydew: Salicylic acid is a honeydew marker in many regions. New Zealand beech honeydew has also shown high flavonoid content and vitamin C in a recent study.

• Rewarewa: Typically low in polyphenols and higher in organic acids; a useful reminder that not every dark native honey is polyphenol-rich.

• New Zealand propolis: pinocembrin, chrysin, galangin and CAPE. A distinctive feature of NZ propolis is the high share of dihydroflavonoids such as pinocembrin.

Rewarewa or commonly known as NZ honeysuckle

3. Compounds we test at PAQ Laboratories

Routine testing and method development run together at PAQ Laboratories. The panel below is what we quantify in honey samples sent to the laboratory. We also keep actively looking for other compounds that matter in the chemistry of New Zealand honeys, using HPLC and a Bruker QTOF mass spectrometer when a sample needs identification beyond the routine list.

• 4-hydroxybenzoic acid

• Isopaeonol

• Apocynin

• Salicylic acid

• Quercetin

• Pinocembrin

• Methyl syringate

• Lumichrome

• 3-phenyllactic acid (3-PLA)

• 4-methoxyphenyllactic acid (4-MPLA)

  
  

Common phenolic acids. 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid and salicylic acid appear across many honeys. Salicylic acid is especially relevant in honeydew and is of interest for anti-inflammatory chemistry.

Flavonoids. Quercetin is a nectar flavonoid found across several New Zealand honeys. Pinocembrin is both a honey flavonoid and a major compound in New Zealand propolis, where we also quantify chrysin and galangin.

The less familiar pair. Apocynin and isopaeonol are not on every laboratory’s honey list. Apocynin is an NADPH-oxidase–linked anti-inflammatory phenolic. Isopaeonol sits in the same phenolic acetophenone family as paeonol. In honey, they are more likely to add anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity as part of the wider phenolic matrix than to drive antibacterial potency on their own.

4. What polyphenols do versus what they prove

Flavonoids and phenolic acids come from secondary plant metabolism. How much of a dietary polyphenol is then available to the body depends on processing, the food matrix, the compound’s structure, and the gut microbiome. Only a small number of studies have followed honey phenolics after they are eaten, so activity claims should stay modest.

We measure these compounds to support floral classification, in particular to separate kānuka from mānuka and from pasture honey and to show what is actually in the jar before a label says “antioxidant” or “anti-inflammatory.”

APP® (Active Polyphenol Rating) is the summed concentration of the named phenolics, reported in mg/kg.

• Authentication: ratios of 3-PLA, 4-MPLA, methyl syringate and lumichrome help separate kānuka from mānuka and from pasture honey.

• Activity: phenolics contribute antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. They are not a substitute for MGO in mānuka or AGPs in kānuka.

• Quality: heat and storage change some phenolics. Others, including 3-PLA, lumichrome and methyl syringate, are relatively stable and therefore useful markers.

  
  

5. How testing is done

PAQ Laboratories analyses honey and propolis by HPLC, and by high-resolution LC-QTOF mass spectrometry when the work needs individual phenolics or organic acids beyond the standard panel.

Polyphenols will not replace MGO in mānuka or AGPs in kānuka. They answer a different question: which plants contributed to this honey, and does it carry a measurable phenolic profile? That is why we report named compounds rather than a single colourimetric “antioxidant” number. Ratios of 3-PLA, 4-MPLA, methyl syringate and lumichrome help classify kānuka. Apocynin and isopaeonol sit in the same phenolic pool as anti-inflammatory acetophenones; they are contributors, not a second MGO value.

An APP® result is the summed concentration of the named phenolics, in mg/kg. It will not say what a honey does in the body but rathe will say which phenolics are in the honey, and how much.

If you want antibacterial activity, test for MGO. If you want immune-stimulating protein, test for AGPs. If you want floral identity plus phenolic chemistry, test for the polyphenol panel.

Get your honey tested for Active Polyphenols at paq-labs.com/polyphenols, or email hello@paq-labs.com to discuss with our expert team, what polyphenol panel you need.

References

Cianciosi, D., Forbes-Hernández, T. Y., Afrin, S., Gasparrini, M., Reboredo-Rodriguez, P., Manna, P. P., Zhang, J., Bravo Lamas, L., Martínez Flórez, S., Agudo Toyos, P., Quiles, J. L., Giampieri, F., & Battino, M. (2018). Phenolic compounds in honey and their associated health benefits: A review. Molecules, 23(9), 2322. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23092322

Stephens, J. M., Schlothauer, R. C., Morris, B. D., Yang, D., Fearnley, L., Greenwood, D. R., & Loomes, K. M. (2010). Phenolic compounds and methylglyoxal in some New Zealand manuka and kanuka honeys. Food Chemistry, 120(1), 78–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.09.074

Beitlich, N., Koelling-Speer, I., Oelschlaegel, S., & Speer, K. (2014). Differentiation of manuka honey from kanuka honey and from jelly bush honey using HS-SPME-GC/MS and UHPLC-PDA-MS/MS. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 62(27), 6435–6444. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf501818f

Bong, J., Loomes, K. M., Lin, B., & Stephens, J. M. (2018). New approach: Chemical and fluorescence profiling of NZ honeys. Food Chemistry, 267, 355–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.07.065

Markham, K. R., Mitchell, K. A., Wilkins, A. L., Daldy, J. A., & Lu, Y. (1996). HPLC and GC-MS identification of the major organic constituents in New Zealand propolis. Phytochemistry, 42(1), 205–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(96)83286-9

George, E. M., Gannabathula, S., Lakshitha, R., Liu, Y., Kantono, K., & Hamid, N. (2025). Antibacterial properties, arabinogalactan proteins, and bioactivities of New Zealand honey. Antioxidants, 14(4), 375. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14040375