Sunflower, christmasberry, and water-tupelo honeys, also at the dark end of the color range, were the next richest sources of antioxidants, although their antioxidant content was only 25 to 40 percent as high. Soybean and clover honeys, which fall in the middle of the color range, had only 10 to 12 percent of buckwheat's antioxidant potential. A few honeys buck the trend, however. Overall, however, the analysis concludes that color predicts more than 60 percent of the variation in a honey's antioxidant capacity. M ost fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants.
People also tend to eat far smaller quantities of honey than they do most fruits and vegetables.
Although the presence of antioxidants suggests that honey might be able to limit the ravages of biologically destructive agents, the proof is in the pudding, or muffins, or sausage, notes Nicki J. Engeseth, a food scientist at the University of Illinois. In one set of experiments, she therefore added honey to fruits and vegetables that turn brown upon exposure to air. In such foods, an enzyme in the plant tissues triggers a reaction between oxygen and phenolic chemicals. Though the light colored acacia honey offered no protection against browning, the darker honeys did. Christmasberry honey retarded the browning enzyme's activity by up to 50 percent, for example.