Abstract
Bee venom is a natural substance produced by worker bees. The aim of this research paper is to determine the characteristics of Anatolian bee venom by evaluating its chemical content and microbiological properties. Physical, chemical and microbiological analyses were performed on 25 bee venom samples from different areas of Anatolia, Turkey. Data obtained by 3-replicate studies were evaluated with normality and one-way and two-way ANOVA / Tukey tests. Chemical analyses of the bee venoms revealed average melittin, apamin, and phospholipase A2 contents of 40.57%, 2.12% and 13.67%, respectively. The results suggest that Anatolian bee venom has a high phospholipase A2 content compared to the previous literature. The results for apamin content were similar to those reported in other countries. Melittin content was within the range of standard values. Bee venom samples were also observed to have a high sugar content, associated with pollen and nectar contamination. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria counts revealed no microbial development in 11 samples of bee venom. Staphylococcus aureus was not detected in any sample. A low microbial load was associated with a high phospholipase A2 content in the bee venom composition, thus contributing to its antimicrobial character. This study presents an examination of Anatolian bee venom in terms of chemical content and microbial quality. The examination of other components in addition to phospholipase A2, melittin and apamin in future studies, together with an analysis of antimicrobial properties will further our understanding of Anatolian bee venom.
Highlights
Bee venom is a natural substance produced by worker bees (Apis mellifera anatoliaca) [1]
The results suggest that Anatolian bee venom has a higher phospholipase A2 content than that reported elsewhere in the literature
Apamin content was similar to that reported in other countries
Summary
Bee venom is a natural substance produced by worker bees (Apis mellifera anatoliaca) [1]. Honeybees have two separate glands at the base of the needle apparatus, an acid gland (venom gland) and an alkaline gland (Dufour gland). The venom gland is responsible for producing bee venom and plays a defensive role. The venom produced is stored in the venom gland [2]. This gland begins to produce bee venom with the emergence of the new adult bee [3]. One-day-old bees possess some quantity of venom, they are unable to sting during
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