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Honeybee Products: Analysis, Authenticity and Health Impact
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Honeybee Products: Analysis, Authenticity and Health Impact

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 June 2023) | Viewed by 19137

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ioannis Konstantinos Karabagias

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Guest Editor
Department of Food Science & Technology, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Patras, G. Seferi 2, 30100 Agrinio, Greece
Interests: food chemistry; food analysis; food authentication; food packaging; fermented foods; natural antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gulzar Ahmad Nayik

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Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Technology, Govt. Degree College, Shopian 192303, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Interests: honey; bee products; melissopalynology; antioxidant properties; honey rheology; honey volatiles; honey markers
Prof. Dr. Vikas Nanda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Engineering & Technology, SLIET, Longowal, Sangrur 148106, Punjab, India
Interests: honey; bee products; honey volatiles; honey rheology; honey antioxidant properties; honey markers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Honey is a sweet, nutritious, and stable food produced by honeybees. The best known primary products of beekeeping are honey and wax, but pollen, propolis, royal jelly, venom, bees, and their larvae are also marketable primary bee products. Traditionally, honey is considered the most significant beekeeping product. Wax has played a considerable role in only a few parts of the world, and propolis is even less known. However, with increasing knowledge about beekeeping, and an awareness of the beneficial aspects of many bee products, and the use and demand for other products, is increasing rapidly. The inclusion of "natural" bee products in cosmetics, medicines, and foods has improved consumer appeal. Although such an appeal is not always based on scientific evidence, more and more studies confirm at least some of the traditionally claimed benefits of the primary bee products. The current honey fraud problem has global implications and impacts both the price of honey and the viability of many beekeeping operations.

In this Special Issue, we aim at collecting and publishing innovative research and review papers on the: i) characterization of honeybee products, ii) honey and honeybee products authenticity, iii) honey and honeybee products consumption and health benefits, and iv) honey and honeybee products adulteration.

Dr. Ioannis Konstantinos Karabagias
Dr. Gulzar Ahmad Nayik
Prof. Dr. Vikas Nanda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • honey
  • honeybee products
  • physicochemical analysis
  • botanical and geographical origin
  • honey and honeybee products authenticity
  • honey and honeybee products adulteration
  • health benefits

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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16 pages, 893 KiB  
Article
Biochemical Profile and Antioxidant Properties of Propolis from Northern Spain
by Eugenia Rendueles, Elba Mauriz, Javier Sanz-Gómez, Ana M. González-Paramás, María-E. Vallejo-Pascual, Félix Adanero-Jorge and Camino García-Fernández
Foods 2023, 12(23), 4337; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12234337 - 1 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1653
Abstract
The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial characteristics of propolis, a bioactive compound collected from hives, have prompted its use in the food sector in recent times. This study investigated the physicochemical characteristics, phenolic profile, and antioxidant capacity of 31 propolis extracts collected from Northern [...] Read more.
The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial characteristics of propolis, a bioactive compound collected from hives, have prompted its use in the food sector in recent times. This study investigated the physicochemical characteristics, phenolic profile, and antioxidant capacity of 31 propolis extracts collected from Northern Spain. The physicochemical composition (resins, waxes, ashes mineral content, and heavy metals) was within the allowable regulatory limits. The analysis of bioactive compounds enabled the identification of 51 constituents: flavonoids (apigenin, catechin, chrysin, quercetin, and pinocembrin) and phenolic acids (caffeic, ferulic, and coumaric). The mean value of total polyphenols was 42.72 ± 13.19 Pinocembrin–Galangin Equivalents/100 g, whereas a range between 1.64 ± 0.04 and 4.95 ± 0.36 Quercetin Equivalents (QE) g/100 g was found for total flavonoids content. The determination of bioactivities revealed significant antioxidant capacity using DPPH (1114.28 ± 10.39 µM Trolox Equivalents and 3487.61 ± 318.66 µM Vitamin C Equivalents). Resin content in propolis samples was positively and significantly correlated with both polyphenols (rho = 0.365; p = 0.043) and flavonoid composition (rho = 0.615; p = 0.000) as well as the antioxidant capacity TEAC DPPH (rho = 0.415; p = 0.020). A multiple regression analysis modeled the correlation between resin composition, flavonoids, and TEAC DPPH values, yielding a significant regression equation (R2 = 0.618; F (2,28) = 22.629; p < 0.000; d = 2.299). Therefore, evaluating physicochemical parameters and biological activities provides a promising framework for predicting propolis’ quality and antioxidant properties, thus suggesting its potential as a functional and bioactive compound for the food industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honeybee Products: Analysis, Authenticity and Health Impact)
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14 pages, 2095 KiB  
Article
Rapid and Automated Method for Detecting and Quantifying Adulterations in High-Quality Honey Using Vis-NIRs in Combination with Machine Learning
by José Luis P. Calle, Irene Punta-Sánchez, Ana Velasco González-de-Peredo, Ana Ruiz-Rodríguez, Marta Ferreiro-González and Miguel Palma
Foods 2023, 12(13), 2491; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12132491 - 26 Jun 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2535
Abstract
Honey is one of the most adulterated foods, usually through the addition of sweeteners or low-cost honeys. This study presents a method based on visible near infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRs), in combination with machine learning (ML) algorithms, for the correct identification and quantification of [...] Read more.
Honey is one of the most adulterated foods, usually through the addition of sweeteners or low-cost honeys. This study presents a method based on visible near infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRs), in combination with machine learning (ML) algorithms, for the correct identification and quantification of adulterants in honey. Honey samples from two botanical origins (orange blossom and sunflower) were evaluated and adulterated with low-cost honey in different percentages (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, and 50%). The results of the exploratory analysis showed a tendency to group the samples according to botanical origin, as well as the presence of adulteration. A supervised analysis was performed to detect the presence of adulterations. The best performance with 100% accuracy was achieved by support vector machines (SVM) and random forests (RF). A regression study was also carried out to quantify the percentage of adulteration. The best result was obtained by support vector regression (SVR) with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.991 and a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 1.894. These results demonstrate the potential of combining ML with spectroscopic data as a method for the automated quality control of honey. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honeybee Products: Analysis, Authenticity and Health Impact)
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16 pages, 585 KiB  
Article
Antiviral Activity of Beebread, Bee-Collected Pollen and Artificially Fermented Pollen against Influenza A Virus
by Tilemachos G. Dimitriou, Nikos Asoutis Didaras, Christina Barda, Dimitra Skopeliti, Katerina Kontogianni, Katerina Karatasou, Helen Skaltsa and Dimitris Mossialos
Foods 2023, 12(10), 1978; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12101978 - 13 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2358
Abstract
Bee-collected pollen (BCP) and the naturally fermented BCP product known as bee bread (BB) are functional foods renowned for their nutritious, antioxidant, antibacterial and other therapeutic properties. This is the first study employed to assess the antiviral activity of BCP and BB against [...] Read more.
Bee-collected pollen (BCP) and the naturally fermented BCP product known as bee bread (BB) are functional foods renowned for their nutritious, antioxidant, antibacterial and other therapeutic properties. This is the first study employed to assess the antiviral activity of BCP and BB against influenza A virus (IAV) H1N1 along with their proteinaceous, aqueous and n-butanol fractions. Additionally, artificially fermented BCP has been evaluated against IAV (H1N1). Antiviral activity was assessed in vitro by comparative real-time PCR assay. IC50 values ranged from 0.022 to 10.04 mg/mL, and Selectivity Index (SI) values ranged from 1.06 to 338.64. Artificially fermented BCP samples AF5 and AF17 demonstrated higher SI values than unfermented BCP, and proteinaceous fractions demonstrated the highest SI values. The chemical profile of BCP and BB samples, analyzed using NMR and LC-MS, revealed the presence of specialized metabolites that may contribute toward the antiviral activity. Overall, the significant anti-IAV activity of BB and BCP harvested in Thessaly (Greece) could be attributed to chemical composition (especially undiscovered yet proteinaceous compounds) and possibly to microbiome metabolism. Further research regarding the antiviral properties of BCP and BB will elucidate the mode of action and could lead to new treatments against IAV or other viral diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honeybee Products: Analysis, Authenticity and Health Impact)
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17 pages, 1028 KiB  
Article
Machine Learning Algorithms Applied to Semi-Quantitative Data of the Volatilome of Citrus and Other Nectar Honeys with the Use of HS-SPME/GC–MS Analysis, Lead to a New Index of Geographical Origin Authentication
by Ioannis Konstantinos Karabagias and Gulzar Ahmad Nayik
Foods 2023, 12(3), 509; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12030509 - 22 Jan 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2563
Abstract
The scope of the current study was to monitor if semi-quantitative data of volatile compounds (volatilome) of citrus honey (ch) produced in different countries could potentially lead to a new index of citrus honey authentication using specific ratios of the identified volatile compounds [...] Read more.
The scope of the current study was to monitor if semi-quantitative data of volatile compounds (volatilome) of citrus honey (ch) produced in different countries could potentially lead to a new index of citrus honey authentication using specific ratios of the identified volatile compounds in combination with machine learning algorithms. In this context, the semi-quantitative data of the volatilome of 38 citrus honey samples from Egypt, Morocco, Greece, and Spain (determined by headspace solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC–MS)) was subjected to supervised and unsupervised chemometrics. Results showed that honey samples could be classified according to the geographical origin based on specific volatile compounds. Data were further evaluated with additional nectar honey samples introduced in the multivariate statistical analysis model and the classification results were not affected. Specific volatile compounds contributed to the discrimination of citrus honey in different amounts according to geographical origin. These were lilac aldehyde D, dill ether, 2-methylbutanal, heptane, benzaldehyde, α,4-dimethyl-3-cyclohexene-1-acetaldehyde, and herboxide (isomer II). The numerical data of these volatile compounds was summed up and divided by the total semi-quantitative volatile content (Rch, Karabagias–Nayik index) of citrus honey, according to geographical origin. Egyptian citrus honey had a value of Rch = 0.35, Moroccan citrus honey had a value of Rch = 0.29, Greek citrus honey had a value of Rch = 0.04, and Spanish citrus honey had a value of Rch = 0.27, leading to a new hypothesis and a complementary index for the control of citrus honey authentication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honeybee Products: Analysis, Authenticity and Health Impact)
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14 pages, 3097 KiB  
Article
Effect of Storage Time and Floral Origin on the Physicochemical Properties of Beeswax and the Possibility of Using It as a Phase Changing Material in the Thermal Storage Energy Technology
by Badria M. Al-Shehri, Thahabh Haddadi, Eman M. Alasmari, Hamed A. Ghramh, Khalid Ali Khan, Mohammed Elimam Ahamed Mohammed, Mohammed Sager Alotaibi, Mogbel Ahmed Abdalla El-Niweiri, Abdulrahman Hamdi Assiri and Maha M. Khayyat
Foods 2022, 11(23), 3920; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233920 - 5 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4477
Abstract
Beeswax is a natural product that is primarily produced by honey bees of the genus Apis. It has many uses in various kinds of industries, including pharmacy and medicine. This study investigated the effect of storage and floral origin on some physicochemical [...] Read more.
Beeswax is a natural product that is primarily produced by honey bees of the genus Apis. It has many uses in various kinds of industries, including pharmacy and medicine. This study investigated the effect of storage and floral origin on some physicochemical properties of four beeswax samples. The floral origin of the beeswax samples was determined microscopically and the investigated physical properties were the melting point, color, surface characteristics and thermal behavior. The studied chemical constituents were the acid value, ester value, saponification value and the ester/acid ratio. The FT-IR, SEM, EDX, XRD and TGF techniques were applied to meet the objectives of this study. The physical properties of the beeswax were affected by the storage period and floral origin. The melting point of the beeswax samples significantly increased with the increase in the storage time, from 61.5 ± 2.12 °C for the 3 month sample to 74.5 ± 3.54 °C for the 2 year stored sample (p-value = 0.027). The acid values of the 3 month, 6 month, 1 year and 2 years stored samples were 19.57 ± 0.95, 22.95 ± 1.91, 27 ± 1.91 and 34.42 ± 0.95 mgKOH/g, respectively. The increase in the acid value was significant (p-value = 0.002). The ester values of the studied beeswax samples significantly increased with the increase in storage time as follows: 46.57 ± 2.86 mgKOH/g for the 3 month stored sample, 66.14 ± 3.82 mgKOH/g for the 6 month stored sample, 89.77 ± 0.95 mgKOH/g for the one year stored sample and 97.19 ± 1.91 mgKOH/g for the 2 year stored sample (p-value ≤ 0.001). Similarly, the saponification value and the carbon percentages increased with the increase in storage time. Unlike the results of the chemical components, the oxygen percentage decreased with the increase in storage time as follows: 11.24% (3 month), 10.31% (6 month), 7.97% (one year) and 6.74% (two year). The storage and floral origin of beeswax significantly affected its physicochemical properties in a way that qualify it to act as a phase changing material in the thermal storage energy technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honeybee Products: Analysis, Authenticity and Health Impact)
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31 pages, 2022 KiB  
Systematic Review
The Role of Propolis as a Natural Product with Potential Gastric Cancer Treatment Properties: A Systematic Review
by Nelly Rivera-Yañez, Porfirio Alonso Ruiz-Hurtado, Claudia Rebeca Rivera-Yañez, Ivonne Maciel Arciniega-Martínez, Mariazell Yepez-Ortega, Belén Mendoza-Arroyo, Xóchitl Abril Rebollar-Ruíz, Adolfo René Méndez-Cruz, Aldo Arturo Reséndiz-Albor and Oscar Nieto-Yañez
Foods 2023, 12(2), 415; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12020415 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4294
Abstract
Gastric cancer is one of the most common, aggressive, and invasive types of malignant neoplasia. It ranks fifth for incidence and fourth for prevalence worldwide. Products of natural origin, such as propolis, have been assessed for use as new complementary therapies to combat [...] Read more.
Gastric cancer is one of the most common, aggressive, and invasive types of malignant neoplasia. It ranks fifth for incidence and fourth for prevalence worldwide. Products of natural origin, such as propolis, have been assessed for use as new complementary therapies to combat cancer. Propolis is a bee product with antiproliferative and anticancer properties. The concentrations and types of secondary metabolites contained in propolis mainly vary according to the geographical region, the season of the year, and the species of bees that make it. The present study is a systematic review of the main articles related to the effects of propolis against gastric cancer published between 2011 and 2021 in the PubMed and Science Direct databases. Of 1305 articles published, only eight studies were selected; among their principal characteristics was the use of in vitro analysis with cell lines from gastric adenocarcinoma and in vivo murine models of the application of propolis treatments. These studies suggest that propolis arrests the cell cycle and inhibits proliferation, prevents the release of oxidizing agents, and promotes apoptosis. In vivo assays showed that propolis decreased the number of tumors by regulating the cell cycle and the expression of proteins related to apoptosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Honeybee Products: Analysis, Authenticity and Health Impact)
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