# Physicochemical Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of Jara Honey Produced in Western Georgia
## 3 Results and Discussion
### The Identification of Grayanotoxin-III  
For grayanotoxin-III identification, ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) mass (MS) and a photodiode array (PDA) detector were used with the Jara honey samples. The molecular weight of GTX-III is 370 g/mol, appearing at m/z 369 in negative ion mode. A compound (Figure 5) has a retention time of 8.359 min, m/z 369 [M\(-\)H]+, \(\Delta\) max 289 nm; according to the obtained results and the compound mass database METLIN ([[https://metlin.scripps.edu](https://metlin.scripps.edu)]([https://metlin.scripps.edu](https://metlin.scripps.edu)), accessed on 1 July 2024), the following apply: substance 1 is grayanotoxin-III--C\({}_{20}\)H\({}_{36}\)O\({}_{6}\) Negative FABMS: m/z = 369.26 [M\(-\)H]; molecular weight: 370 g/mol. For comparing chromatography analyses, rhododendron's flower and mad honey samples (Figure 5) were used, where the consistency of the toxin was much higher than in the Jara honey samples. An almost equal quantity of grayanotoxin-III was found in samples 9, 13, and 19 (Figure 5). It was proportional to rhododendron pollen. In other samples of Jara honey, grayanotoxin-III was left as a small portion, and the consistency of the pollen was much lower (minor pollen (<3%)) (Table 8). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Samples**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Pollen Types in the Honey Samples (in Percentages)**} \\ \cline{2-4}  & **Dominant Pollen (\(\prec\)45\%)** & **Secondary Pollen (16–45\%)** & **Important Minor Pollen (3-15\%)** & **Minor Pollen (\(\prec\)3\%)** \\ \hline JH-12 & Chestnut—90.0 & - & Acacia—7.11 & _Umhelliferae_, _Taraxucum officinal_, and eq.t. \\ JH-13 & Chestnut—63.47 & _Umhelliferae_—21.88 & Kacia—6.03, & _Tilia_, _Taraxucum_, and eq.t. \\  & & & Rhododendron—4.88 & and eq.t. \\ JH-14 & Chestnut—50.38 & Acacia—25.0 & _Trifolium pratense_—10.2, & _Almus incana_, _Rubus ideas_, Rhododendron, and eq.t. \\ JH-15 & - & Chestnut—38.28, & _Malus domestica_—12.87, & _Umhelliferae_, Rhododendron, and eq.t. \\  & & _Trifolium pratense_—25.52 & _Pyras commins_,...15.9 & _Umhelliferae_, _Taraxucum_, _Solitago virgawara_, and eq.t. \\ JH-16 & Chestnut—80.47 & - & _Umhelliferae_—4.62 & _Tilia plathybillos_, _Trifolium pratense_, _Taraxucum_, _Solitago virgawara_, and eq.t. \\  & & & _Trifolium pratense_—10.3, & \\ JH-17 & Chestnut—46.19 & Acacia—21.8 & _Rubus ideas_—8.13, & Rhododendron \\  & & & _Tilia plathybillos_—5.57, & and eq.t. \\ JH-18 & Chestnut—52.3 & _Tilia_—37.8 & _Umhelliferae_—7.6 & _Taraxucum_, _Solitago virgawara_, and eq.t. \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 8: _Cont._All 18 samples of Jara honey taken for analysis are dark in color, have a bitter-sweet taste, and have an extremely strong and pleasant aroma. This is the first survey about Jara honey's physicochemical and biochemical characteristics. Western Georgia's Jara honey is high in quality and rich in bioactive compounds. The physical and chemical characteristics of the honey are according to European standards. The honey samples' moisture levels vary and are compatible with honey codices. The average values between the total free acidity content, pH, and conductivity (Table 2) show a positive linear correlation. Jara's honey has the highest pH and conductivity values of 4.23 and 1.706 (\(\mu\)s/sm), respectively. By comparing the result obtained in the determination of diastatic activity as one of the important characteristics (the activity index is higher than 8 units), it can be concluded that all samples of the Jara honey are natural. Dominant sugars in the form of fructose and glucose were identified in Jara honey samples by the high-pressure liquid chromatography method. A strong correlation was found between phenolic compounds, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. Color intensity increases with the increase of phenolic compounds (0.9547), phenolic acids (0.9637), and flavonoids (0.7672) (Table 2). A stable positive correlation was observed between color intensity and phenolic compounds (0.954745808) (Table 9).