Abstract
Honey is a functional food with health-promoting properties. Some types of honey are used in wound care for the treatment of acute and chronic infected wounds. Increased interest in using honey as a functional food and as a base for wound care products causes limited availability of raw honey. Numerous studies suggest that the protein content of honey is mainly comprised of bee-derived proteins and peptides, with a pronounced antibacterial effect. Therefore, the aim of our study was to characterize for the first time the antibacterial activity of raw honeys and bee-processed syrups which were made by processing sucrose solution or invert sugar syrup in bee colonies under field conditions. Furthermore, we compared the contents of glucose oxidase (GOX) and the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in honey samples and bee-processed syrups. These parameters were also compared between the processed sucrose solution and the processed invert sugar syrup. Our results clearly show that natural honey samples possess significantly higher antibacterial activity compared to bee-processed syrups. However, no differences in GOX contents and accumulated levels of H2O2 were found between honeys and bee-processed syrups. Comparison of the same parameters between bee-processed feeds based on the two artificial carbohydrate sources revealed no differences in all measured parameters, except for the content of GOX. The amount of GOX was significantly higher in bee-processed sucrose solutions, suggesting that processor bees can secrete a higher portion of carbohydrate metabolism enzymes. Determination of honey color intensity showed that in bee colonies, bee-processed syrups were partially mixed with natural honey. Further research is needed to identify the key botanical compounds in honey responsible for the increased antibacterial potential of honey.
Highlights
The antibacterial activity of the tested honey samples was expressed as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)/minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of
Our present study shows that the antibacterial activity of natural honeys exhibited a significantly higher antibacterial activity compared to bee-processed sucrose solution and invert sugar syrup
No difference in the glucose oxidase (GOX) content and the level of H2 O2 was found between natural honeys and bee-processed syrups
Summary
Honey is a natural product and functional food with proven therapeutic advantages in the treatment of various disorders [1]. Honey has successfully been used topically in wound care for a broad spectrum of injuries and burns [2]. Its biological properties, including antibacterial, anti-biofilm, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative activities are mandatory characteristics which may vary from honey to honey or might be significantly affected by both environmental conditions and technological processing. In this sense, the determination of all mentioned biological properties or, at least, honey antibacterial activities, is crucial to obtain honey for medicinal purposes. There are no quality parameters or regulations for raw honey registration as a medical-grade honey
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