## 4 Discussion  
_Multivariate Analysis and Correlation between Zantaz Honey Composition and Antibacterial Activity_  
The antibacterial activity of honey depends on its physicochemical characteristics and the susceptibility of the target bacteria [8]. Statistical tools such as correlation and multivariate analysis are used in order to establish relationships between physicochemical parameters and antibacterial activity. Pearson correlation was calculated for each physicochemical parameter and the antibacterial activity of the Zantaz honey samples included in this study. Values of r were transformed into a color scale in order to simplify the output, and correlations were clustered using a dendrogram presentation heat map model (Figure 3). The dendrogram in Figure 3 shows that all physicochemical parameters, except moisture, have a negative correlation with MIC at least for two of the bacterial strains, thus being potential contributors to the antibacterial activity of Zantaz honey. [PERSON] et al. (2015) reported a positive correlation between water content and antibacterial activity in honeys from the Sahara region [13], despite the fact that an increase in water content results in dilution of antibacterial components, including sugars responsible for the antibacterial activity that is attributed to osmotic pressure in honey. The concept of concentrated and diluted nectars may explain this discrepancy. Thus, more concentrated nectars rich in antibacterial compounds such as those in the Sahara region would result in a positive correlation between water content of honey and antibacterial activity. In contrast, weak nectars with a higher content of water would have a diluting effect in antibacterial components, causing a negative correlation between water content and antibacterial activity, which appears to be the case in Zantaz honey. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{_E. coli (466)_} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{_P. aeruginosa_} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{_S. aureus_} \\ \hline
**Zantaz Honey** & **MIC** & **MBC** & **MIC** & **MBC** & **MIC** & **MBC** \\
**Samples** & **(mg/mL)** & **(mg/mL)** & **(mg/mL)** & **(mg/mL)** & **(mg/mL)** & **(mg/mL)** \\ \hline ZH1 & 125 & 125 & 125 & 125 & 125 & 125 \\ ZH2 & 125 & 125 & 62.5 & 125 & 62.5 & 62.5 \\ ZH3 & 125 & 250 & 125 & 125 & 125 & 125 \\ ZH4 & 250 & 250 & 125 & 125 & 125 & 125 \\ ZH5 & 250 & 250 & 125 & 250 & 125 & 125 \\ ZH6 & 250 & 250 & 250 & 250 & 250 & 250 \\ ZH7 & 125 & 125 & 62.5 & 62.5 & 62.5 & 62.5 \\ ZH8 & 125 & 125 & 125 & 125 & 62.5 & 62.5 \\ ZH9 & 125 & 250 & 62.5 & 62.5 & 62.5 & 62.5 \\ ZH10 & 250 & 250 & 125 & 125 & 125 & 125 \\ \hline Mean & 175 & 200 & 118.75 & 137.5 & 112.5 & 112.5 \\ SD & 61.2 & 61.2 & 51.9 & 61.2 & 54.5 & 54.5 \\ Min & 125 & 125 & 62.5 & 62.5 & 62.5 & 62.5 \\ Max & 250 & 250 & 250 & 250 & 250 & 250 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Antibacterial activity of Zantaz honey against _E. coli_, _P. aeruginosa_ and _S. aureus_. Antibacterial activity had a positive correlation with the content of melanoidins and acidity, which is consistent with previous reports indicating the importance of melanoidins [19] and acidity [11,12] for antibacterial activity. A negative correlation between MIC and ash content was observed in _E. coli_ and _S. aureus_ and _P. aeruginosa_, suggesting a contribution of minerals to antibacterial activity. MIC values appeared to also correlate with content of  
Figure 3: Heat map and dendrogram illustrating the correlation between physicochemical parameters and antimicrobial activity (MIC values) for _E. coli_, _P. aeruginosa_ and _S. aureus_. (**a**) Physicochemical properties, (**b**) sugar composition, (**c**) mineral composition, (**d**) polyphenol composition. total polyphenols, although the correlation was only significant for _E. coli_. Previous works have reported that the antibacterial activity in honey is related to the presence of phenolics [34,35].