Characterization of vacuum-dried honey powder: effect of honey type and carrier composition on functional, physicochemical, and antioxidant properties

The existing data on the comparison of functional and physicochemical characteristics of honey powder from various botanical sources (floral, multifloral forest, and stingless bee), combined with different carrier agents (dextrin and microcrystalline cellulose), is quite limited. The powders were obtained through vacuum drying at controlled temperature and pressure conditions. Six samples include measurements of physicochemical attributes such as moisture content, pH, total titratable acidity, total sugar, hydroxymethylfurfural content, and diastase number. Color parameters (L*, a*, b*) and powder yield are also documented. The functional properties assessed include solubility, dissolving time, flow rate, cohesiveness, hygroscopicity, bulk density, tapped density, particle density, and porosity. Additionally, antioxidant capacity was evaluated using ABTS and DPPH assays, and bioactive components were quantified through total phenolic and flavonoid content. The dextrin significantly enhanced powder solubility and antioxidant retention, particularly in stingless bee honey formulations. Multifloral forest honey and dextrin combinations exhibited high flavonoid content and DPPH activity. MCC-based powders had higher density but lower solubility. Strong correlations were observed among moisture content, acidity, and antioxidant parameters (r > 0.85), and clustering confirmed logical groupings among compositional, structural, and bioactive traits.These findings demonstrate that the quality of honey powder can be tailored through the strategic selection of carrier and honey source. The results offer practical applications for designing nutritionally enhanced powders with desirable functional performance in food systems.