Honey with added value – enriched with rutin and quercetin from Sophora flower

The aim of this study was to find the best conditions for the extraction of rutin and quercetin from Sophora flower in acacia honey as an extractant, and to formulate a new product – honey with added value. For determination of the optimal extraction conditions of the above mentioned compounds, 10% m/m of the dried Sophora flower was added to honey and the concentration of rutin and quercetin was monitored, at 4 °C and room temperature at 1, 15, 40 and 90 day intervals. The analyses of rutin and quercetin content in honey were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection. The content of rutin and quercetin in the flower was also determined to check the quality of the herbal drug used, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the extraction. The extraction of rutin and quercetin, in a honey sample using 10% of the Sophora flower, stored at room temperature, for 40 days, was the most intense one (150.24 mg/kg of rutin and 1338.93 mg/kg of quercetin). Sophora flower corresponds to the pharmacopoeia requirements for the quality of an herbal drug. The concentrations of rutin and quercetin in acacia honey were 0.08 and 0.14 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration of rutin in honey from the melliferous pasture of the Sophora flower was 0.40 mg/kg, while quercetin was below the detection limit (0.1 mg/kg). Honey, enriched with rutin and quercetin from Sophora flower, had sensory acceptability and pleasant taste and aroma.