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Honey: Introduction, History, Composition, and Its Uses
Abstract
Honey, a natural substance produced by honey bees, is sweet and has a syrupy consistency. It has a beautiful golden-yellow hue and a complex composition with various physiochemical and antioxidant properties. Essentially, honey is a highly concentrated sugar solution, comprising a mixture of carbohydrates. Along with carbohydrates and water, honey contains proteins, enzymes, organic acids, vitamins, lipids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, minerals, and other beneficial compounds in small quantities. Throughout history, humans have widely consumed honey, utilizing it in the food, medicine, and beverage industries. Notably, honey possesses antibacterial and antifungal properties, further enhancing its value. The medicinal benefits of honey have been acknowledged and recorded in different ancient societies like India, Egypt, and Greece. All ancient Ayurvedic scriptures highlight the value of honey. Honey is gaining much attention in the modern world as well. People are becoming pretty aware of the consequences of allopathic medicines and are getting attracted to herbal treatments including honey.
Honeybees are important for pollination and produce products including honey, propolis, royal jelly, pollen, beeswax, and bee venom. Honey is a sweet liquid substance prepared by honeybees, which collects nectar and pollen from different flowers, and propolis is a glue substance collected by bees from different plant parts. In this review aimed to provide comprehensive studies on honey and propolis composition, bioactive compounds contained. as well as the bioactive components that are present. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the biological potential of honey and propolis for human health. This includes their capacity to suppress bacteria, improve wound healing, and impact specific disorders. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize the benefits of honey and propolis for various health conditions, including allergies, oral problems, dermatological issues, and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, and cardiovascular properties. However, we have not fully elucidated the mechanisms of action of propolis and honey on all the previously listed activities. To gain a fuller understanding of its mechanics and the potential uses of this phenomenon, additional research is required.
This study is the first major research on melissopalynology in Bangladesh, addressing a crucial gap in understanding the country's floral biodiversity through honey analysis. This research is essential because Bangladesh's rich but understudied floral environment offers great potential for sustainable beekeeping and honey production. By systematically analyzing 42 honey samples from 11 different locations nationwide, the study identified 74 plant species across 39 families, highlighting the remarkable diversity of pollen sources used by honey bees. Brassica campestris was the most commonly found species, while the Fabaceae family was the most prevalent. Fourteen samples were classified as monofloral type, dominated by a single type of pollen. The findings showed a strong preference for entomophilous (insect-pollinated) plants, comprising 79.72% of the pollen types identified, and arborial plant species accounted for 43.24%. On average, eight plant species per sample were observed, emphasizing bees' reliance on diverse floral sources for nectar and pollen. Through detailed pollen analysis, this study has uncovered significant insights into the plant species crucial for honey production across Bangladesh, addressing a previously unrecognized research gap. This research not only fills an important gap in the scientific understanding of melissopalynology in Bangladesh but also sets the stage for future studies aimed at assessing and quantifying Bangladeshi honey. Such studies are essential for creating a national honey brand and enhancing the rural economy by ensuring the quality and authenticity of locally produced honey.
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