Spectrofluorimetric Analysis of Honey Samples for Quantification of Riboflavin: Statistical Evaluation of External Factors

Abstract

This study investigated the riboflavin content in honey samples collected from various geographical and climatic regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Quantification was carried out through spectrofluorimetric, utilizing riboflavin’s native fluorescence with excitation and emission peaks at 464 nm and 525 nm, respectively. A calibration curve of fluorescence intensity against riboflavin concentration was established to determine its levels in the samples. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the influence of external factors such as altitude, bee species, floral source, and season on riboflavin concentration. Results revealed that honey from lower altitudes contained the highest riboflavin levels (1.156±0.08 μg g⁻¹), while autumn samples exhibited the maximum average concentration (1.37±0.06 μg g⁻¹). Moreover, honey derived from Ziziphus flowers showed the highest riboflavin content (1.383±0.1 μg g⁻¹), and samples from small honeybee hives contained greater amounts (1.176±0.07 μg g⁻¹). The findings indicate that vitamin composition and nutritional value in honey are influenced by environmental and biological factors.