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Analysis of flavonoids in honey by HPLC coupled with coulometric electrode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

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Abstract

The analysis of flavonoids in unifloral honeys by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with coulometric electrode array detection (CEAD) is described. The compounds were extracted by a nonionic polymeric resin (Amberlite XAD-2) and then separated on a reversed phase column using gradient elution. Quercetin, naringenin, hesperetin, luteolin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, and galangin were detected in a coulometric electrode array detection system between +300 and +800 mV against palladium reference electrodes, and their presence was additionally confirmed by HPLC coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The method was applied to analysis of 19 honeys of different varieties and origin. The limits of detection and quantitation ranged between 1.6 and 8.3 μg/kg and 3.9 and 27.4 μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries were above 96% in fluid and above 89% in creamy honeys. Some of these honeys (melon, pumpkin, cherry blossom, dandelion, maple, and pine tree honey) were investigated for their flavonoid content and profile for the first time. Differences between honeys were observed both in flavonoid concentrations and in the flavonoid profiles. The flavonoid concentrations ranged from 0.015 to 3.4 mg/kg honey. Galangin, kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin, and luteolin were detected in all investigated honeys, whereas hesperetin occurred only in lemon and orange honeys and naringenin in lemon, orange, rhododendron, rosemary, and cherry blossom honeys. Figure Electrode array detection

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... Various categories of flavonoids are present in honey, such as flavanes, flavonols, and dihydroflavonols, based on oxidation levels; the components of flavonoids differ among honeys from different parts of the world or botanical origins (Tomás-Barberán et al. 2001). Table 3.2 summarizes some of the phenolic and flavonoid compounds present in different types of honey (Kassim et al. 2010;Hussein et al. 2011;Eraslan et al. 2010;Petrus et al. 2011). In most of those varieties of honey, hesperetin and naringenin have been identified. ...
... In most of those varieties of honey, hesperetin and naringenin have been identified. However, flavonoids, such as isorhamnetin, alangin, kaempferol, quercetin, and luteolin, have been reported in most honey varieties (Petrus et al. 2011), and catechin has been identified as a prevalent flavonoid in some of Malaysia's honey that has already been explored (Khalil et al. 2011). Several findings have documented that honey inhibits cellular damage and prevents cell oxidation of cell membrane (Beretta et al. 2007). ...
... They also contain fat, vitamins, microelements, etc. (Razquin et al. 2009). Hypersensitive responses from nectar are very uncommon, it could be because of pollen (Petrus et al. 2011). Pollen delivers antibacterial and antimicrobial properties to the honey (Khalil et al. 2011;Beretta et al. 2007). ...
Chapter
Honeybees depend upon plants for everything they want to maintain the colony running; nectar and pollen that is their only carbohydrate and protein essential nutrients. In order to achieve their necessary nutritional requirement, honey bees eventually collect essential plant metabolites when component of nectar and pollen. In addition, several molecules exhibit biological activity which may become significant in the battle against pests and pathogens in the hive. Flavonoids, terpenoids, and polyphenols are essential biologically active ingredients found in honey and also have antioxidant properties. Nonetheless, for reasons of room, it is practically impossible to give a detailed overview of the phytochemical characteristics of honey and pollen in a literature review of this scope. In addition, the therapeutic ability of biologically active ingredients and their use in value-added food products are also at the core of this chapter.
... All the results presented are related to the SPE-C18 extraction of a honey sample dissolved in acidified water to ensure that both flavonoid aglycones and phenolic acids were extracted in their molecular forms [54]. SPE-C18 extraction is important for removing interfering compounds, allowing the attainment of more reliable results in honey analysis [14,55]. ...
... SPE-C18 extraction is important for removing interfering compounds, allowing the attainment of more reliable results in honey analysis [14,55]. Different extraction materials can be used, such as Amberlite XAD-2 and Amberlite XAD-4, reported to allow acceptable flavonoid recoveries and effective elimination of sugars, acids, pigments, and other interfering compound reversed-phase cartridges [14,54]. However, there are disadvantages, such as a low affinity for some phenolic compounds and polar glycoside flavonoids and the need for high amounts of honey samples and organic solvents [14,56]. ...
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The analytical results from a study of 16 honey samples (extra white to dark honey color range) of phenolic compounds obtained using the single UV spectrum methodology and classical spectrophotometric methods (Folin–Ciocalteu and AlCl3 methods) are presented. The first method quantified all classes of phenolic compounds in honey’s SPE-C18 extract: the total hydroxybenzoic acid content (concentrations between 0.37 ± 0.05 and 4.46 ± 0.37 mg of gallic acid/g of honey), total hydroxycinnamic acid content (0.13 ± 0.03 and 2.76 ± 0.13 mg of ferulic acid/g of honey), and total flavonoid content (0.15 ± 0.03 and 1.63 ± 0.17 mg of quercetin/g of honey). The total phenolic contents were, on average, 1.86 ± 0.72 and 1.78 ± 0.79 times higher than the results obtained for raw honey and the SPE-C18 extract, respectively, using the classical Folin–Ciocalteu method. The total flavonoid contents, on average, were 6.02 ± 3.14 times larger and 0.66 ± 0.33 times smaller than the results obtained using the classical AlCl3 method for raw honey and SPE-C18 extract, respectively.
... 24,25 The main phenolic and flavonoid compounds in honey include ellagic acid, syringic acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, myricetin-chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, hesperetin, coumaric acid, isorhamnetin, chrysin, quercetin, galangin, luteolin and kaemferol. 26 While some of these bioactive compounds such as alanine, kaemferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin and luteolin are found in most honey samples, others such as hesperetin and naringenin are found in few honey varieties. 26 By and large, compelling evidence shows that honey is not only an antioxidant but also rich in numerous antioxidant compounds. ...
... 26 While some of these bioactive compounds such as alanine, kaemferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin and luteolin are found in most honey samples, others such as hesperetin and naringenin are found in few honey varieties. 26 By and large, compelling evidence shows that honey is not only an antioxidant but also rich in numerous antioxidant compounds. These antioxidant compounds can function as cellular antioxidant defences against free radicals in the body. ...
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The use of honey in the control of hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is a current option being explored globally. Honey bees which are named in Latin as Apis, use the collected nectar from plants to produce honey after regurgitation and digestion of nectar. Carbohydrate constitutes about 80% of the components of honey. It includes monosaccharides [fructose (37.5%) and glucose (30.6%), disaccharides (sucrose (1.6%) and maltose (2.7%)] and oligosaccharides. Natural honey also contains water (17.2%), proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, acids such as flavonoids, phenolic acids and other components. Honey is rich in antioxidant content and these antioxidant compounds function as endogenous cellular antioxidant defences against free radicals in diabetes mellitus. Antioxidants have also been shown to exert a beneficial effects on blood glucose. Fructose and other bioactive constituents of honey have also been linked with amelioration of hyperglycemia. Besides the beneficial effects of honey on blood glucose, honey is widely used in the management of diabetic foot ulcers, an important complication of diabetes mellitus. The wound-healing benefits of honey are attributed to its antioxidant constituents and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Though additional studies are needed, the use of honey in the management of diabetes mellitus holds much promise.
... Phenolic compounds are an important group of secondary metabolites produced by plants as a defense mechanism. In blossom honeys, these metabolites came especially from the nectar (Santos-Buelga & González-Paramás, 2017) and they have been investigated as possible botanical and geographical indicators (Devi, Jangir, & Anu-Appaiah, 2018;Petrus, Schwartz, & Sontag, 2011), as well as contributors of honey biological properties (Governa, Carullo, Biagi, Rago, & Aiello, 2019;Roby et al., 2020). ...
... Therefore, despite the number of studies, the data's significant variability makes it challenging to identify a possible influence of the geographical origin or the citrus species on the profile and concentration of phenolic compounds. However, especially the flavanone hesperetin has been proposed as a botanical marker of citrus honey, being commonly found only in this type of honey (Devi et al., 2018;Ferreres, Giner, & Tomás-Barberán, 1994;Gao et al., 2020;Petrus et al., 2011). ...
Article
Citrus honey is one of the most important monofloral honeys produced and consumed worldwide. This honey has pleasant sensorial characteristics, which include light color and typical aroma and flavor. Besides that, several constituents such as minerals, phenolic and volatile compounds, amino acids, sugars, enzymes, vitamins, methylglyoxal and organic acids are found in citrus honey. Moreover, potential biological properties have been associated with citrus honey. All these factors make it highly desired by consumers, increasing its market value, which can stimulates the practice of fraud. Also, citrus honey is susceptible to contamination and to inadequate processing. All these factors can compromise the quality, safety and authenticity of citrus honey. In this sense, this review aims to update and to discuss, for the first time, the data available in the literature about the physicochemical and the sensorial characteristics, composition, health properties, contamination, authenticity and adulteration of citrus honey. With this background, we aim to provide data that can guide future researches related to this honey.
... The levels of phenolic acids and flavonoids are specified in Table 4. It is worth mentioning that, with the exception of one study (Petrus, Schwartz, & Sontag, 2011) which described the profile of flavonoids, the composition of phenolic compounds in phacelia honeys has not been described previously in the literature. Gallic (GA), 4-hydroxybenzoic (HBA), caffeic (CA) and p-coumaric acids (p-CA) were identified in all the samples. ...
... Additionally, phacelia honeys contained variable amounts of flavonoids, such as epicatechin (E), naringenin (N), myricetin (M), galangin (Ga), apigenin (A), kaempferol (K), pinocembrin (P) and chrysin (Ch). This is in some agreement with earlier study (Petrus et al., 2011), which detected the presence of galangin, kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin and luteolin. The presence of these compounds in honeys depends on contamination with propolis and generally occurs in very small amounts (Tomas-Barberan, Martos, Ferreres, Radovic, & Anklam, 2001). ...
Article
The growing interest in the quality of honey affects customer preferences and consumption trends. Generally, monofloral honeys are more expensive than multifloral honeys, and the price strictly depends on its botanical origin. The increasing popularity of a variety of monofloral brands has led to the increasing number of adulterations and therefore for the need to develop new analytical methods for assessing honey authenticity. The purpose of the present study was to develop a method for the authentication of phacelia honeys on the basis of HPLC and HPTLC analyses and spectrophotometry. The results obtained by spectrophotometric analysis indicated significant differences only between one sample and remaining ones of phacelia honeys. The application of HPLC and HPTLC methods allowed the complete differentiation of Phacelia tanacetifolia honey samples in context of content of other plants pollen. Thus, honeys containing more than 45% pollen from Phacelia tanacetifolia appear to exert more similarities in their respective chromatograms, while the chromatograms of two samples (Ph1 and Ph9), which derived from honey containing majority of pollen from other plants, differed significantly. Therefore, the combination of HPLC and HPTLC fingerprints supported by spectrophotometric measurements seems to be a suitable method for the classification of honey samples.
... Quercetin can be found in a variety of sources, including different kinds of berries, 74 tomatoes, 75 vegetables, fruits, nuts, and beverages, 76 onions, 77 apples, capers, grapes, and tea, 78 shallots, 79 and honey. 80,81 Researchers studied whether it might have a role in improving mental and physical function and reducing infection risk. 82 Since medical plants have lower prices and fewer side effects, they are more popular. ...
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Sinusitis, one of the most prevalent and undertreated disorders, is a term used to describe inflammation of the paranasal sinuses caused by either infectious or non-infectious sources. Bacterial, viral, or fungal infections can all cause sinusitis. Sinusitis is classified into 3 types: acute, subacute, and chronic. Acute sinusitis lasts for less than 1 month, subacute sinusitis lasts from 1 to 3 months, and chronic sinusitis persists for over 3 months. This condition affects a significant portion of the population, imposing a substantial burden on the healthcare system. Antibiotics are the gold standard of bacterial sinusitis treatment. However, due to the rise of antimicrobial resistance, especially in immune-compromised patients, it is necessary to investigate potential adjunctive therapies. Based on the literature, vitamins (eg, vitamin D) have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulatory properties and may effectively treat sinusitis and reduce mucous membrane inflammation. Besides vitamins, many other supplements like quercetin, sinupret, and echinacea have immunomodulatory effects and have shown promising results in sinusitis treatment. In this review, we look at the therapeutic role, safety, and efficacy of vitamins and nutritional supplements in sinusitis treatment.
... Moreover, authors suggest that quercetin aglycone which is abundant in dry shallot skin is more bioavailable due to its low hydrophilicity than quercetin glucosides present in the flesh. Furthermore, quercetin was also detected in 19 honeys of different floral and non-floral sources (Petrus et al., 2011). ...
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Polyphenols are a large group of organic compounds present in plants, where they play various roles pivotal to their proper physiological functioning. Polyphenols are ubiquitous in many dietary sources such as fruits, vegetables, beverages, seeds, and honeys. Diet plays a crucial role in sustaining overall well-being of the organism and preventing diseases, including cancer. Despite broad spectrum of health promoting activity of polyphenols, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, many of them are also potent anti-cancer compounds. In this review we focused on presentation of three polyphenols such as quercetin, curcumin, and kaempferol. We discussed recent studies concerning their beneficial impact on human health and potential as anticancer agents.
... Flavonoids are a diverse group of polyphenolic compounds found in plants, responsible for their metabolism, color, and flavor [19,20]. Fruits, vegetables, plant-derived beverages, and honey are the prevalent dietary sources of flavonoids [21,22]. Depending on the presence of sugar residues, flavonoids are classified into aglycones and glycosides. ...
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Flavonoid aglycones are secondary plant metabolites that exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antiplatelet effects. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying their inhibitory effect on platelet activation remain poorly understood. In this study, we applied flow cytometry to analyze the effects of six flavonoid aglycones (luteolin, myricetin, quercetin, eriodictyol, kaempferol, and apigenin) on platelet activation, phosphatidylserine externalization, formation of reactive oxygen species, and intracellular esterase activity. We found that these compounds significantly inhibit thrombin-induced platelet activation and decrease formation of reactive oxygen species in activated platelets. The tested aglycones did not affect platelet viability, apoptosis induction, or procoagulant platelet formation. Notably, luteolin, myricetin, quercetin, and apigenin increased thrombin-induced thromboxane synthase activity, which was analyzed by a spectrofluorimetric method. Our results obtained from Western blot analysis and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry demonstrated that the antiplatelet properties of the studied phytochemicals are mediated by activation of cyclic nucleotide-dependent signaling pathways. Specifically, we established by using Förster resonance energy transfer that the molecular mechanisms are, at least partly, associated with the inhibition of phosphodiesterases 2 and/or 5. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of flavonoid aglycones for clinical application as antiplatelet agents.
... One study found that organically grown tomatoes had 79% more quercetin than chemically grown fruit (Mitchell et al., 2007). Quercetin is present in various kinds of honey from different plant sources (Petrus, Schwartz, & Sontag, 2011). Food-based sources of quercetin include vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, beverages and other products of plant origin (Tutel'ian & Lashneva, 2013). ...
Article
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Flavonoids are ubiquitous in photosynthesising cells and are commonly found in fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, stems, flowers, tea, wine, propolis and honey. For centuries, preparations containing these compounds as the principal physiologically active constituents have been used to treat human diseases. Increasingly, this class of natural products is becoming the subject of anti-infective research and many groups have isolated and identified the structures of flavonoids. In this study we concerned on determination flavonoids content from methanolic extracts of Ficus benghalensis using catechol and quercetin as standard. The result shows high content of quercetin in methanolic extracts.
... It is produced from quercetum (oak forest), called after the oak plant of the Quercus genus (Justesen & Knuthsen, 2001). Citrus fruits, buckwheat, and onions are all high in this flavonoid (Petrus et al., 2011). In red onions (Allium cepa), greater levels of quercetin are reportedly found in the parts of the plant proximal to the roots (Slimestad et al., 2007). ...
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Studies into the functions and mechanisms of action of quercetin may be able to help dispel the negative effects of toxicants on renal toxicity due to its anti-inflammatory potential, as well as provide a simple, low-cost alternative for treating renal toxicity in developing nations. Therefore, the present study evaluated the ameliorative and renal protective activities of quercetin dihydrate in potassium bromate-induced, renal-toxic Wistar rats. Forty-five (45) mature female Wistar rats (180–200 g) were randomly grouped into nine (9) (n = 5). Group A served as general control. Nephrotoxicity was induced in groups B to I with the administration of potassium bromate. While group B served as a negative control, groups C–E received graded doses of quercetin (40, 60, and 80 mg/kg, respectively). Group F received 2.5 mg/kg/day of vitamin C, while groups G–I received vitamin C (2.5 mg/kg/day) and co-administration of a graded dose of quercetin (40, 60, and 80 mg/kg, respectively). Daily urine levels and final blood samples by retro-orbital techniques were collected for GFR, urea, and creatinine level assessment. The collected data were subjected to ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test, and the results were presented as mean SEM with a p < 0.05 level considered significant. Body and organ weight and GFR were significantly reduced (p < 0.05), while serum and urine creatinine and urea were decreased in renotoxic animals. However, treatment with QCT reversed the renotoxic effects. We, therefore, concluded that quercetin administered alone or with vitamin C conferred renal protection by reversing KBrO3-induced renal toxicity in rats. Further studies to corroborate the present findings are recommended.
... Quercetin (C15H10O7) is an aglycone, lacking an attached sugar. It is a brilliant citron yellowneedle crystal and entirely insoluble in cold water, poorly soluble in hot water, but quite soluble inalcohol and lipids [18]. ...
Article
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Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds that occur in plants having a variety of biological effects both in vitro and in vivo. They have been found to have antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-ulcerogenic, cytotoxic, antineoplastic, mutagenic, antioxidant, antihepatotoxic, antihypertensive, hypolipidemic, antiplatelet and anti-inflammatory activities. Flavonoids also have biochemical effects, which inhibit a number of enzymes such as aldose reductase, xanthine oxidase, phosphodiesterase, Ca+2-ATPase, lipoxygenase, cyclooxygenase, etc. They also have a regulatory role on different hormones like estrogens, androgens and thyroid hormone. They have been found to have anti-inflammatory activity in both proliferative and exudative phases of inflammation. Several mechanisms of action have been proposed toexplain anti-inflammatory action of flavonoids. The aim of the present review is to give an overview of the mechanism of action of potential anti-inflammatory flavonoids. This review focuses on thephysicochemical properties, dietary sources, absorption,bioavailability and metabolism of quercetin, especially main effects of quercetin oninflammationand immune function. According to the results obtained both in vitro and in vivo, good inflammation have been opened for quercetin. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to better char inflammation mechanisms of action underlying the beneficial effects of quercetin on inflammation and immunity.
... Of all listed methods, the most used is HPLC method. It gives the opportunity of simultaneous identification and determination of flavonoids in different honey samples (Stefova et al., 2003;Petrus et al., 2011;Moniruzzaman, et al., 2014). ...
Article
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In this study, it was performed identification and quantification of flavonoids (apigenin, chrysin, hesperetin, kaempferol, luteolin, naringenin, and quercetin) and flavonoid glycosides (rutin and vitexin) in total 49 samples of five different honey types from Bosnia and Herzegovina: meadow honey (MH, 22 samples), forest (FH, 10), acacia (AH, 7), chestnut (CH, 5), and heather honey (HH, 5). Additionally, evaluation of correlations between FC and total hydrophilic antioxidant score (antioxidant activity against both: ROO· + OH·) in supernatants (s) and in bulk (noncentrifuged) solution (b) of these honey types was performed. Moreover, correlations between flavonoids content (FC) and previously reported antioxidant activity against both peroxyl and hydroxyl free radicals (AC(ROO·) and AC(OH·)) for the same honey samples was examined. High performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and isocratic elution mode was used as method of analysis. Flavonoids were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE). The average contents of three flavonoids (chrysin, naringenin, and luteolin) in MH were statistically higher than in AH (p**<0.01). Also, the average content of naringenin in FH was statistically higher than in CH (p*<0.05). We observed a high (positive) linear correlation between FC and AC(ROO·) in s of four honey types (FH, AH, HH, CH) (R2=0.920). If we correlate FC and AC(ROO·)s of three honey types (FH, AH, HH), linearity is very high (R2=0.968), and for FH, AH, CH linearity is complete. The correlation between FC and AC(ROO·) in b of the same honey types is similar, but lower. The correlation does not exist between FC and AC(OH·) neither in s nor in b of five or four honey types, but for FC to both (AC(OH·)s and AC(OH·)b) of three honey types (FH, AH, CH), linearity is moderate (R2=0.732 and R2=0.696, respectively). Keywords: antioxidant activity, correlations, flavonoids, honey, HPLC-DAD.
... Quercetin is a flavonol, one of the plant flavonoids, which is classified under polyphenols. It has a bitter taste and can be extracted from many types of fruits, vegetables, seeds, and grains (Petrus et al., 2011). Quercetin is known to have antioxidant activity and also can activate or inhibit several enzymes (Murakami et al., 2008;Russo et al., 2014). ...
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Aim of study: The aim of this study is to show the in silico evidences about the potential use of quercetin and umbelliferone as α-amylase inhibitors, which is important for the treatment of diabetes. Material and methods: The possible conformations and orientations of quercetin, umbelliferone, and acarbose, in binding to the active sites of alpha-amylase, were analysed by CASTp server. The molecular dockings of these compounds to the potential active site were performed by AutoDock Tools to obtain 3D interactions and binding energies. In addition, the interaction scores were calculated by iGEMDOCK. The 2D enzyme-inhibitor interactions, which clearly show the interactions at the active sites, were analysed by LigPlot+. The drug-likeness properties of quercetin and umbelliferone were compared to acarbose by DruLiTo software and SWISSADME server. The absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) scores, which present the pharmacokinetic properties of the compounds were analysed by ADMETLab, admetSAR, and PreADMET servers Main results: As a result, the α-amylase inhibitor activity and the potential use of quercetin and umbelliferone were proved in silico. Highlights: The results of the study clearly put forward that quercetin and umbelliferone could have possible medicinal use in the treatment of diabetes
... Flavonoids are 15 carbon compound, including two aromatic rings combined by a pyrane nucleus which is a cluster of dynamic natural molecules. [35] The obtained flavonoids can be classified into different classes according to their structure, that are flavanols, flavones, flavanones or isoflavones. Honey consists of multiple compounds of these categories like quercetin, luteolin, pinocembrin, pinobanksin, apigenin, naringenin, hesperetin, kaempferol, chrysin, genistein and anthocyanidins. ...
... It is noteworthy that RP-AE SPE is superior for retaining both PAs and flavonoids compared to RP-SPE cartridges. The use of Amberlite sorbents such as Amberlite XAD-2 and XAD-4 are among the frequently reported sorbents for PCs extraction in honey (Bobiş et al., 2021;Ciucure and Geanȃ, 2019;Escriche et al., 2011Escriche et al., , 2014Halagarda et al., 2020;Mattonai et al., 2016;Oroian and Ropciuc, 2017;Ouchemoukh et al., 2017;Petrus et al., 2011;Š arić et al., 2020;Wang et al., 2014Wang et al., , 2020Zhao et al., 2015Zhao et al., , 2016. XAD-2 and XAD-4 are macroporous sorbents made of styrene-divinylbenzene with slight modification of the surface area and pore sizes, that eventually lead to variation in extraction efficiency and selectivity (via size exclusion mechanisms) for recovering PCs from honey matrices (Rao et al., 2004). ...
Article
Over the past decade, the measurement of phenolics and flavonoids in honey has received much attention, which is attributed to their broad spectrum of beneficial pharmacological activity and their potential to address issues related to the authenticity and botanical origin of honey. Due to their high variability in structural and physicochemical properties, the separation, detection and identification of these molecules in honey is challenging. Among all the chromatography-driven techniques, liquid chromatography (LC) is one of the most popular and powerful tools for the analysis of phenolics and flavonoids. In particular, the coupling of LC to various detectors, especially mass spectrometry, has enabled relatively fast tentative identification and accurate quantitative and qualitative analysis of polyphenolic compounds in honey. In this review, a survey of the recent considerations and developments in the application of extraction strategies and LC-related techniques for polyphenolics determination in honey during past decade is provided. The review will also feature future trends of LC-based polyphenolics analysis, with opportunities for high-resolution multidimensional LC analysis that offers significantly higher total peak capacities.
... Previous research found that quercetin inhibited influenza infection with a wide spectrum of strains, specifically the entry of the H5N1 virus (Wu et al., 2016). High levels of quercetin can be found in red onion plants (Petrus et al., 2011). Quercetin is classified as an antioxidant compound, so it could act as an inhibitor of the oxidation of other molecules (Williams et al., 2004). ...
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The world is facing the challenge of the COVID-19 disease, which is now stated as a pandemic. Inside the host cell, spike envelope protein (spike) of SARS-CoV-2 interact with the Angiotensin-converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. It can be inhibited by bioactive compounds such as flavonoids which have anti-viral and broad pharmacological effect. This study aimed to determine the spike protein inhibitory activity by quercetin against the ACE2 receptor using the molecular docking method. This study focused on the inhibitory of the penetration activity of s proteins in ACE2 by utilizing natural material compounds that have the potential to be used as anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development agents. The flavonoid compound quercetin was extracted by the maceration method. The quantitative analysis was carried out using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer to prove the presence of quercetin content. Molecular docking simulations were carried out to look for the binding affinity between the spike protein and quercetin. Docking was carried out using the Autodock, PyRx, and visualization using Discovery Studio. Indicators that prove that quercetin forms binding affinity and protein complexes with spikes are the Vina Score and RMSD. It is also supported by ADME analysis and conformity to Lipinski's rules of five. That matter becomes a success indicator of the spike activity inhibition by quercetin, which makes it possible to be used as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development agent. The novelty from this study is molecular docking method that used to show that quercetin in red onion had inhibitory activity on the penetration process of protein spike in SARS-CoV-2. Results obtained from this study can be used as a recommendation for advanced research in invitro and invivo studies as a drug which has potential to inhibit protein spike of SARS-CoV-2.
... Honey used in most products registered with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for wound care is typically standardized to be equivalent to 12% to 16% phenol. The various studies conducted with these standardized honeys reported MIC values for a range of species of bacteria present in infected wounds: S. aureus, various coagulase-negative Staphylococci, various species of Streptococci, various species of Enterococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, and a range of anaerobes [13]. ...
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Honey has been used in wound dressing for thousands of years, but only in more recent times has a scientific explanation become available for its effectiveness. The principle aim and objectives of this current work on honey was to confirm this assertion on the usefulness and medicinal value of honey. It also probed the broad-spectrum of antibacterial activity of Honey however we observed that there was much variation in potencies between different honeys from diverse sources. In this context, Gelam, Tualang and Manuka honey is used on wound complication to assess their healing potentials in which each of the honeys are applied on dressing before put on the affected lesions on the skin. Statistical analysis such as chi- square (χ2) test is used to compare association of diverse honey varieties which shows that the differences between honey varieties are not significant (P<0.05). Glucose oxidase is induced but regain its activity if the honey is diluted. It can be concluded from in vitro studies that honey has powerful antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities against dermatologically relevant microbes.
... HPLC-CD has been successfully applied to isoflavonoids and lignans [87], a wide range of other phenolic [88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98], lipophilic [89,99,100] and S-containing AOs [101][102][103][104][105] ( Table 4). The limits of detection achieved are impressive (up to the fmol level). ...
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The definition of antioxidants (AOs), their classification and properties as well as electrochemical sensor systems for AOs analysis are briefly discussed. The analytical capabilities of coulometric titration with electrogenerated titrants as sensor systems for AOs determination have been considered in detail. The attention focused on the individual AO quantification that was mainly used in the pharmaceutical analysis and estimation of total antioxidant parameters (total antioxidant capacity (TAC), ferric reducing power (FRP) and ceric reducing/antioxidant capacity (CRAC)) allowing the fast screening of the target samples including their quality control. The main advantages of coulometric sensor systems are pointed out. The selective quantification of individual AO in a complex matrix using a combination of chromatography with coulometric or coulometric array detection under potentiostatic mode is discussed. The future development of coulometric sensor systems for AOs analysis is focused on the application of novel coulometric titrants and the application of coulometric detection in flow injection analysis.
... In our research, all honeys except Malaysian honey were found to contain kaempferol (from 0.11 to 2.27 mg kg −1 ). In a study by Petrus et al. [49], most of this compound was determined in melon, pumpkin and rapeseed honeys (about 3 mg kg −1 ). Kaempferol was also identified in many samples of buckwheat and heather honeys (from 0.10 to 3.74 mg kg −1 ) [47], as well as in tupelo, citrus and multifloral honeys (from 0.62 to 3.12 mg kg −1 ) [46]. ...
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Honey is a natural product which owes its health benefits to its numerous bioactive compounds. The composition of honey is highly diverse and depends on the type of honey and its origin. Antioxidant capacity arises mainly from the total content of polyphenols and their composition. The aim of this study was to perform a multidimensional comparative analysis of phenolic compounds of honeys of various origins. Honeydew, buckwheat, manuka, Malaysian and goldenrod honeys had the highest antioxidant capacity (above 400 mg Trolox equivalents kg−1). These honeys were also characterized by the highest total polyphenol content (about 2500 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) kg−1) and the highest total flavonoid content (1400–1800 mg catechin equivalents (CAE) kg−1). Other honeys had much lower antioxidant properties. A multidimensional analysis of the profiles of phenolic compounds showed that honeys constitute a non-homogeneous data set and manuka honey was in contrast to other samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) (based on 18 phenolic compounds) distinguished honeys into five groups. Manuka, Malaysian and honeydew honeys created their own separate groups and the location of other honeys was variable. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) analysis demonstrated that profiles of polyphenols in honeys were highly varied. Caffeic acid, datiscetin and rhamnetin were characteristic compounds for manuka honey. Quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin were present in all honeys except Malaysian honey. The antioxidant properties and the profiles of bioactive phenolic compounds of honeys were miscellaneous. The richest sources of polyphenols were local buckwheat and honeydew honeys, alongside exotic manuka and Malaysian honeys. These honeys could provide valuable ingredients to the human diet, helping to prevent diseases.
... To explain more, the verification of honey floral is undermined by the concentration and content among polyphenols compounds [30]. Considered as biomarkers for rosemary and sunflower honeys, quercetin and kaempferol have been found in high levels of pumpkin, rapeseed, and melon honeys [31]. Thereby, adding other chemical factors to verify closely the geographical origin of honey remain the proper option. ...
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Inflammation is the main key role in developing chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases which possess a huge challenge for treatment. With massively compelling evidence of the role played by nutritional modulation in preventing inflammation-related diseases, there is a growing interest into the search for natural functional foods with therapeutic and preventive actions. Honey, a nutritional healthy product, is produced mainly by two types of bees: honeybee and stingless bee. Since both types of honey possess distinctive phenolic and flavonoid compounds, there is recently an intensive interest in their biological and clinical actions against inflammation-mediated chronic diseases. This review shed the light specifically on the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of honey polyphenols and highlight their roles in targeting inflammatory pathways in gastrointestinal tract disorders, edema, cancer, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and gut microbiota.
... As a strong antioxidant act as a therapeutic agent in a number of diseases related to oxidative stress such inflammatory injury, atherosclerosis, cancer, and cardiovascular disease Teixeira et al. (2013) levels of various oxidants of liver (Kilicoglu et al. 2008). Furthermore, honey supplementation is also significantly associated with increased or restored activities of a number of antioxidants in liver (Petrus et al. 2011;Yao et al. 2011). The pancreatic β cells are highly susceptible to oxidative damage due to the low expression and free radicles scavenging enzymes (Grankvist et al. 1981). ...
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Honey comes with a legendary history of being used as an indigenous medicine to cure a number of diseases. Honey is an essential source of phenolic molecules such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. The most abundant flavonoids present in honey include flavones, flavanones, and flavonols. Flavonoids show diverse activities such as non-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antiviral, antimalignant, antimicrobial, however, the antioxidant activity has been studied widely. Honey also possess a diverse molecules of phenolic acids including p-coumaric, ferulic, caffeic acid, acetophenones, phenylacetic acids, syringic, vanillic, gallic acid, and so on which endow it with the therapeutic activities against pathogens, inflammation while at the same time shows antioxidant and healing properties. The phenolic compounds owing to their medical properties make honey a very critical and attractive prophylactic entity for the prevention of chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, hypertension, neurodegenerative diseases etc. In this chapter, a discussion has been made on classification, structure, and medicinal and health benefits of phenolic compounds.
... The antioxidant properties of honey are quite well endorsed. Flavonoids, amino acids, organic acids, enzymes as catalase, glucose oxidase, peroxidase, ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol carotenoids, proteins, maillard reaction products, minerals such as copper and iron, and over 150 polyphenolic constituents as catechins, ellagic acid, gallic acid, syringic acid, benzoic acid, ferulic acids, myricetin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, hesperetin, coumaric acid, isoramnetin, chrysin, quercetin, galangin, luteolin, kaempferol and cinnamic acid derivatives are responsible for the antioxidative function of honey (5,(58)(59)(60)(61). The antioxidant potential of honey is employed in a surfeit of applications as preventing enzymatic browning of fruit and vegetables (62), lipid peroxidation in meat (63), and inhibiting proliferation of food quality deteriorating organisms (64). ...
... Flavonoid-rich fractions of plants were found to be efficient antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic agents in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (Aslan, Orhan, Orhan, Sezik, & Yeşilada, 2007;Li et al., 2007;Sharma, Balomajumder, & Roy, 2008). The content of flavonoids in honey ranges from 0.015 to 3.4 mg/kg (Petrus, Schwartz, & Sontag, 2011). ...
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Background Honey is being used in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, especially in Indian Ayurvedic Medicine, as an adjuvant and supplement in diabetes mellitus treatment since immemorial times. In recent times, the use of honey has experienced a renewed interest in the context of diabetes treatment because of the rise in the accessibility of evidence-based pharmacological and clinical findings, signifying its health benefits. Scope and approach There are differential opinions regarding the traditional use of honey in diabetes mellitus. The present review highlights various research propositions, hoisted issues, and misconceptions regarding the effects of honey in diabetes management and presents current challenges and future perspectives. A comprehensive critical review was performed by probing the traditional antidiabetic claims of honey, considering published reports in online databases. Key findings and conclusions A total of 20 pre-clinical and 25 clinical studies investigated the antidiabetic effect of honey. Though in vivo studies are still limited, the findings reinforce the multi-targeted antidiabetic effect of honey, exerting antioxidant, nutritional, antihyperglycemic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, antihypertensive, hypolipidemic, and hypoglycaemic activities. Preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that honey may possess multi-faceted and adjunct effects to accomplish a better glycaemic control, ameliorate several metabolic derangements, and mitigate oxidative stress-evoked diabetic problems. Nevertheless, the findings remain inconclusive due to poor study designs and other limitations (e.g. short duration, few participants, the difference in type of study participants, varied honey sources, and administered doses). Overall, there is a significant gap in knowledge, and hence, carefully planned, detailed in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies are warranted to reach better conclusions.
... The antioxidant properties of honey are quite well endorsed. Flavonoids, amino acids, organic acids, enzymes as catalase, glucose oxidase, peroxidase, ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol carotenoids, proteins, maillard reaction products, minerals such as copper and iron, and over 150 polyphenolic constituents as catechins, ellagic acid, gallic acid, syringic acid, benzoic acid, ferulic acids, myricetin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, hesperetin, coumaric acid, isoramnetin, chrysin, quercetin, galangin, luteolin, kaempferol and cinnamic acid derivatives are responsible for the antioxidative function of honey (5,(58)(59)(60)(61). The antioxidant potential of honey is employed in a surfeit of applications as preventing enzymatic browning of fruit and vegetables (62), lipid peroxidation in meat (63), and inhibiting proliferation of food quality deteriorating organisms (64). ...
Article
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Honey often referred to as ‘the drink of the gods’, is naturally sweet and a substantially rich source of carbohydrates, amino acids and antioxidants. In spite of being rich in carbohydrates, honey has a low glycemic index and therefore effectively used as a dietary compliance by diabetics. The fructose content of honey has hepatoprotective capability, while the antioxidants present in it provide effective protection against oxidative damage. The therapeutic attribute of honey makes it the food of choice even in infants and diabetics. Honey is endowed with antioxidant, immune modulating, and wound healing, anti-inflammatory, therapeutic, nutritional, antimicrobial and antidiabetic qualities. The present review aims at discussing these capabilities of honey with special reference to its antidiabetic benefits under one dome.
... Isorhamnetin was found to be one of the main phenolic compounds found in bee bread, "a fermented mixture of plant pollen, honey, and bee saliva used as food for larvae and for young bees to produce royal jelly" (Sobral et al. 2017). Isorhamnetin was also detected in most honeys including melon, pumpkin, cherry blossom, rhododendron, rosemary lemon, orange, dandelion, maple, and pine tree honey (Petrus et al. 2011). Isorhamnetin was identified as a complementary biomarker for the identification of the floral origin of Argentinean Diplotaxis honeys (Truchado et al. 2010). ...
Chapter
Not all honey are made equal. Honey is a natural substance from a mixture of flower nectars or the secretions of plant-sucking insects that are collected and digested by honey bees. There are 300 known types of honey, produced by over 20,000 honey bee species, that vary in flavor, color, and health effects. For this reason, honey type and composition vary with geography, and angiosperm and honey bee species distribution. In this chapter, we discuss the different types of honey and their associated health benefits. We also provide insights on the future of honey production in the context of functional food advocacy, climate change and honey bee species decline.
... Bee's honey treated rats caused marked reduction in antioxidant markers (GSH, MDH) compared to corresponding groups that received melamine only, this finding matched with report of Yao et al. (2011), who proved that the bee's honey effectively restored the antioxidant (GSH, MDH) reserve in male rat's hepatocytes and Al-Waili (2003) who proved the bee`s honey had valuable antioxidant effect on sheep. Although the antioxidant effect of bee's honey on catalase level in the hepatocytes was moderate this finding was according to with report of Petrus et al. (2011) who indicated moderate effect of bee's honey on catalase enzyme concentration in hepatocytes. It is truly reported that the oxidative stress and inflammation are correlated (Peake et al., 2007). ...
... Probably, this is true for other plant foods. Black tea, red wine, fruit juices [8,9], as well as various kinds of honey [10] also are considered as rich dietary sources of quercetin. Besides, edible roots, tubers and bulbs, legumes and cereal grains, as well as herbs and spices, contain appreciable content of quercetin [11]. ...
Article
Quercetin is a plant flavonoid with great potential for the prevention and treatment of disease. Despite the curative application of quercetin is hampered by low bioavailability, its core serves as a scaffold for generating more potent compounds with amplified therapeutic window. This review aims to describe recent advances in the improvement of the pharmacokinetic profile of quercetin via the amino acid prodrug approach which offers wide structural diversity, physicochemical and biological properties improvement. According to the findings, conjugation of quercetin with amino acids results in increased solubility, stability, cellular permeability as well as biological activity. In particular quercetin–amino acid conjugates exhibited potent anticancer, MDR-reversal and antibiotic resistance reversal activities. The synthetic pathways and examples of quercetin–amino acid conjugates are considered. Practical considerations and challenges associated with the development of these prodrugs are also discussed. This mini-review covers the literature on quercetin–amino acid conjugates since 2001 when the first thematic work was published.
... The antioxidant activity of honey bee is generally attributed to its phenolic compounds and flavonoids (Kishore et al., 2011). The main phenolic and flavonoid compounds in honey bee include ellagic, gallic, syringic, benzoic, cinnamic, ferulic acids, myricetin, chlorogenic, coumaric and caffeic acids, hesperetin, isoramnetin, chrysin, quercetin, galangin, luteolin and kaempferol (Petrus et al., 2011) and L-ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol and βcarotene (Balz et al., 1989). ...
... Bee's honey treated rats caused marked reduction in antioxidant markers (GSH, MDH) compared to corresponding groups that received melamine only, this finding matched with report of Yao et al. (2011), who proved that the bee's honey effectively restored the antioxidant (GSH, MDH) reserve in male rat's hepatocytes and Al-Waili (2003) who proved the bee`s honey had valuable antioxidant effect on sheep. Although the antioxidant effect of bee's honey on catalase level in the hepatocytes was moderate this finding was according to with report of Petrus et al. (2011) who indicated moderate effect of bee's honey on catalase enzyme concentration in hepatocytes. It is truly reported that the oxidative stress and inflammation are correlated (Peake et al., 2007). ...
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Melamine is considered as one of urea derivatives. Recently it is added to feed stuffs for industrial purposes (falsely elevate its protein contents), however addition of melamine resulted in marked oxidative stress and toxic effect on different body organs, especially the nephrotoxicity and urolithiasis. Therefore, this work is designed to explore the beneficial effect of bee’s honey to alleviate the harmful effect induced by melamine toxicity and to show the histological changes on male albino rats. In this work seven animal groups (five rats for each), group 1; negative control, while groups 2, 4, 6 received melamine-formaldehyde orally at dose 0.9, 90, 9000 ppm, respectively while groups 3, 5, 7 received the same melamine dose beside bee’s honey (dose of 2.5 gm/kg body weight (B. w) for 45 days. Results declared that melamine treated rats showed marked oxidative, biochemical, hematological changes as well as pathological alterations in vital assets especially liver and urinary system. As distension of the urinary bladder, crystals deposition and stone formation were detected with variable degrees in all groups treated only with melamine. Microscopically, various pathological changes in kidneys, liver, lung, heart and intestine were also demonstrated. The severity of these changes varied from mild to severe changes depending upon the dose of melamine. Interestingly, rats treated with melamine plus the bee’s honey showed mild changes in comparison to the only melamine treated rats. These findings assured that, marked antioxidant and ameliorative effect of bee’s honey successfully reduced the noxious effect of melamine on different body organs.
... The fraction of volatile chemicals in honey is low, but consist of aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, acids, esters, hydrocarbons, derivatives of benzene, derivatives of terpene, norisoprenoids, and cyclic compounds [36,38]. Some bioactive chemicals, such as quercetin, luteolin, galangin, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol, exist in almost all types of honey [39,40]. Flavonoids and polyphenols, which act as antioxidants, are the two main bioactive groups of chemicals that present in honey. ...
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Background: The goals of the current study were to address a new concept termed a health benefits' index (HBI) and to verify the type of correlation between the pricing of honey and its HBI/medicinal properties. Diverse types of honey from different origins and places were investigated for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Methods: We have utilized a modified protocol of the DPPH assay for measuring free radical scavenging and the microdilution test for the determination of antibacterial/antifungal minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). MICs were determined against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Candida albicans microorganisms. Employing a "combined benefits approach" enabled us to attach to each honey type a unique number of HBI that correlate with honey health and medicinal values. Results: The various types of honey demonstrated significant but variable antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. Types of wildflower-labeled honey were found to have a wide range of HBI values and medicinal properties, probably due to their containing different nectar contents/phytochemicals. Moreover, an inconsiderable correlation was detected between the market prices of different types of honey and their HBIs. Conclusions: The proposed index of health benefits could be recalculated/updated following measurement of more and more medicinal properties, such as anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities. This index could be used as an effective tool for consumers of honey to evaluate the real value of the purchased product.
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Abstract Endogenous stem cell (ESC) exploration refers to an increase in the number of stem cells residing in the human body. This can be achieved by administering natural substances, such as honey, which can activate stem cells. Numerous studies have explored the potential of honey for animal and human health, including its antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anti-osteoporosis, anti-malnutrition, and anti-fertility properties. Here, we review the scientific data on the importance of honey as a potential natural substance, and how its ability to activate endogenous stem cells can lead to new therapeutic strategies for different diseases. Honey majorly contributes to stem cell proliferation and differentiation and consequently tissue repair via mobilization and homing of endogenous stem cells toward damaged tissues. Altogether, bioactive compounds in honey or phytochemicals are potential compounds for enhancing stem cell therapeutics for several degenerative diseases.
Article
This article sums up the possible impact of honey in the amelioration of COVID-19 induced recognized pathogenesis. The pandemic due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 infected thousands of individuals round the globe. The indicator of COVID-19 infection suggests that increased inflammation, oxidation, and an overstressed immune reaction are key contributor of COVID-19 pathogenesis. This overstressed immune response leads to numerous cytokine production and consequently and led to the development of severe injury in lungs (ALI)/acute respiratory distress disorder and in some conditions becomes reason of death. Honey is formed when honey bees collect nectar from various, and then process it to form the honey. It is a natural remedy to reduce the incidence of various diseases, due to its potential anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, immune booster, antiviral, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, anti-proliferative, cardiovascular, neurological and gastrointestinal diseases and anti-metastatic properties. Honey has been used for the curing of bronchial asthma, throat infections, tuberculosis, thirst, hiccups, fatigue, and hepatitis and also for the ALI/ARDS treatment caused by virus or any other pathogen. Doctors recommend honey as a nutritional supplement to boost the immunity of patients under critical conditions, reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, viral infections that confirm that honey may be used to combat the infection and other complications caused by COVID-19 pandemic. There are many reports which reveal that honey may be used in bacterial and viral infections such as COVID-19, however, further experimental studies are required to validate these speculations.
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Citrus honey (CH) is rich in nutrients that have a wide variety of biological functions, such as antibacterial, anti–inflammatory, and antioxidant activities, and which demonstrate therapeutic properties, such as anti–cancer and wound–healing abilities. However, the effects of CH on alcohol–related liver disease (ALD) and the intestinal microbiota remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the alleviating effects of CH on ALD and its regulatory effects on the gut microbiota in mice. In total, 26 metabolites were identified and quantified in CH, and the results suggested that the primary metabolites were abscisic acid, 3,4–dimethoxycinnamic acid, rutin, and two markers of CH, hesperetin and hesperidin. CH lowered the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate aminotransferase, and alcohol–induced hepatic edema. CH could promote the proliferation of Bacteroidetes while reducing the abundance of Firmicutes. Additionally, CH also showed some inhibitory effects on the growth of Campylobacterota and Turicibacter. CH enhanced the secretion of short–chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and valeric acid. Given its alleviating functions in liver tissue damage and its regulatory effects on the gut microbiota and SCFAs, CH could be a promising candidate for the therapeutic treatment of ALD.
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Background Inflammation of gingival tissues in response to bacterial plaque accumulation is a key risk factor for the onset of gingivitis and progression towards periodontal inflammation. Thus, control of gingival inflammation is a prerequisite to sustain gingival health. Honey has been used in gingivitis and periodontal diseases for its antibacterial and healing properties, on the other hand, use of aloe-vera gel for its anti-inflammatory properties, has been reported in dentistry for many oral conditions. The main objective of the study was to find out the effects of gingival massage with aloe-vera gel and sidr honey as adjunct as well as the difference in the efficacy of aloe-vera gel and sidr honey in reducing clinical parameters. Method: 105 patients with gingivitis were selected in this single-blinded Randomized control clinical trial. At recruitment dental prophylaxis i-e ultra-sonic scaling (US) was performed. At baseline all clinical parameters, gingival index, plaque index and bleeding on probing were recorded. All the participants were then randomly divided into three groups, Group A: US & Gingival massage with aloe-vera gel, Group B: US & Gingival massage with Sidr honey and Group C US only. On 30th day of trial all the patients were re-examined for all the clinical parameters. Results: Gingival massage with both interventions showed statistically significant improvement in plaque index, gingival index and bleeding on probing. In Group A and B highly, significant differences were observed in plaque index (<0.001), gingival index (<0.001) and bleeding on probing after gingival massage with interventions when compared with control group. However, when group A was compared to group B significant differences were observed in gingival index. Conclusion This clinical trial showed that gingival massage with both naturopath’s aloe-vera gel and sidr honey had significant effect in reducing plaque index, gingival index and bleeding on probing when used as adjuncts in patients with gingivitis. However, sidr honey gingival massage was more effective than aloe-vera gel in comparison to control group. Trial Registration no: ClinicalTrials.gov, under the protocol ID NCT05231096 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05231096).
Article
The "medicinal" benefits of honey have been known for thousands of years, being used as an antiseptic, fortifier, soother, healer, laxative, among others. But in addition to its use as a therapeutic, there is evidence that since ancient Rome honey has been used as a food preservative. Currently, the food industry faces several challenges, among which are maintaining the quality and safety characteristics of their products with the minimum addition of artificial ingredients and additives due to the worldwide increase in demand for natural products and functional properties, as well as helping to reduce food loss and thus its ecological footprint. Currently, honey produced by stingless bees has been the subject of research, due to its nutritional value and its bioactive properties of great utility, both in the pharmaceutical industry and in food production. Therefore, a review of published articles describing the potential uses of the bioactive properties of honey, mainly that produced by stingless bees, in the food industry was carried out.
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Background: vegetative diversity is based on different climate and geographical origins. In terms of beekeeping, herbal diversity is strongly correlated to the production of a wide variety of honey. Therefore, based on the existing plant diversity in each country, multiple honey varieties are produced with different health characteristics. While beekeeping potential and consumption preferences are reflected in products’ variety, this leads to an increase in the region’s economy and extensive export. In the last years, monofloral honey has gained interest from consumers and especially in the medicinal field due to the presence of phytochemicals which are directly linked to health benefits, wound healing, antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Scope and approach: this review aims to highlight the physicochemical properties, mineral profiles and antioxidant activities of selected monofloral honeys based on their botanical and geographical origin. Moreover, this review focuses on the intercorrelation between monofloral honey’s antioxidant compounds and in vitro and in vivo activities, focusing on the apoptosis and cell proliferation inhibition in various cell lines, with a final usage of honey as a potential therapeutic product in the fight towards reducing tumor growth. Key findings and conclusions: multiple studies have demonstrated that monofloral honeys have different physicochemical structures and bioactive compounds. Useful chemical markers to distinguish between monofloral honeys were evidenced, such as: 2-methoxybenzoic acid and trimethoxybenzoic acid are distinctive to Manuka honey while 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid is characteristic to Kanuka honey. Furthermore, resveratrol, epigallocatechin and pinostrobin are markers distinct to Sage honey, whereas carvacrol and thymol are found in Ziziphus honey. Due to their polyphenolic profile, monofloral honeys have significant antioxidant activity, as well as antidiabetic, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. It was demonstrated that Pine honey decreased the MDA and TBARS levels in liver, kidney, heart and brain tissues, whereas Malicia honey reduced the low-density lipoprotein level. Consumption of Clover, Acacia and Gelam honeys reduced the weight and adiposity, as well as trygliceride levels. Furthermore, the antiproliferative effect of chrysin, a natural flavone in Acacia honey, was demonstrated in human (A375) and murine (B16-F1) melanoma cell lines, whereas caffeic acid, a phenolic compound found in Kelulut honey, proves to be significant candidate in the chemoprevention of colon cancer. Based on these features, the use of hiney in the medicinal field (apitherapy), and the widespread usage of natural product consumption, is gaining interest by each year.
Article
A new extraction method of polyphenols from honey using a biodegradable resin was developed and compared with the common commercial resin amberlite XAD2. For this purpose, three honey samples of Algerian origin were selected for the different physico‐ chemical and biochemical parameters study. After extraction of the target compounds by both resins, the polyphenol content was determined, the antioxidant activity was tested, and LC‐ MS analyses were performed for identification and quantification. The results showed that physico‐chemical and biochemical parameters meet the norms of the International Honey commission, and the H1 sample seemed to be of high quality. The optimal conditions of extraction by biodegradable resin were a pH of 3, an adsorption dose of 40 g/L, a contact time of 50 min, an extraction temperature of 60°C and no stirring. The regeneration and reuse number of both resins was three cycles. The polyphenol contents demonstrated a higher extraction efficiency of biosorbent than of XAD2, especially in H1. LC‐MS analyses allowed for the identification and quantification of fifteen compounds in the different honey samples extracted using both resins and the most abundant compound was 3,4,5‐trimethoxybenzoic acid. In addition, the biosorbent extracts showed stronger antioxidant activities than the XAD2 extracts. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
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Honey is a well-known and historically important sweet food which possesses immense antimicrobial properties. Numerous varieties of honey are present in nature, and all of these honey varieties contain certain key ingredients, which confer upon them various antimicrobial properties. These antimicrobial key ingredients include polyphenolic compounds, hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal, and bee-defensin among several others. Honey is nowadays used extensively in modern medicine as potent antibiotic for the treatment of surface wounds and burns. It is also used in combination with other antibiotics to treat antibiotic resistance. As an antifungal agent, honey is used to treat the athlete’s foot (tinea pedis), jock itch (tinea cruris), and ringworm of face, scalp, nail, and hand (tinea corporus). In this chapter, we aim to provide a brief overview of various types of honey and their composition and describe extensively its various antimicrobial properties and how these properties are exploited in modern medicine as an alternative to popular therapeutics or in conjunction with it.
Chapter
Honey has been broadly recognized as a source of nourishment and medication by both old and new generations. It has been utilized by people to treat numerous illnesses through topical application for at least 2700 years, but recent researches have revealed the antiseptic and antimicrobial activities of honey. It has been seen as a powerful agent that can be used in various human pathologies. Different clinical examinations have affirmed that the use of honey to cutaneous injuries which are severely infected removes contamination from the injury and enhances tissue healing. Honey has been perceived as a successful antioxidant and antimicrobial agent for centuries. Utilized mainly for treating burns and surface wounds, it has thus been developed into clinical medicine, as medical grade honey. In spite of this, the underlying interest in the utilization of honey for antimicrobial treatment was significantly reduced, as antibiotics were discovered and used. Nonetheless, due to the alarming increment in the occurrence of organisms with antimicrobial resistance, specifically the expansion in multidrug resistance (MDR), the quantity of efficient antibiotics is decreasing at a larger rate than new medications are created. This serious situation has made numerous scientists to think back to the pre-antibiotic period for creating solutions, directing their consideration towards the mechanisms of action of antimicrobial activity of honey.
Chapter
Honey is one of the most nutritional natural products that not only provides us healthy nutrition but also has a potential to be an alternative treatment option for different pathologies from microbial infection to metabolic disease. Honey is a byproduct of flower syrup produced by honeybees and possesses an intricate chemical composition that varies with botanical sources and geographical locations. This chapter is aimed to provide readers an understanding of complex composition, biological activities, adverse effect, and therapeutic benefits of honey. Honey possesses many biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-cancer, and anti-metastatic effects, suggesting potential therapeutic roles in many human pathologies. Flavonoids and polyphenols in honey are the two active ingredients, which are of therapeutic importance in many diseases. In conclusion, honey may be developed as a natural therapeutic agent for many pathologies, and extensive studies are therefore recommended.
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For the past decade, migratory beekeepers who provide honey bees for pollination services have experienced substantial colony losses on a recurring basis that have been attributed in part to exposure to insecticides, fungicides, or their combinations applied to crops. The phytochemicals p-coumaric acid and quercetin, which occur naturally in a wide variety of bee foods, including beebread and many types of honey, can enhance adult bee longevity and reduce the toxicity of certain pesticides. How variation in concentrations of natural dietary constituents affects interactions with xenobiotics, including synthetic pesticides, encountered in agroecosystems remains an open question. We tested the effects of these two phytochemicals at a range of natural concentrations on impacts of consuming propiconazole and chlorantraniliprole, a triazole fungicide and an insecticide frequently applied as a tank mix to almond trees during bloom in California’s Central Valley. Propiconazole, even at low field concentrations, significantly reduced survival and longevity when consumed by adult bees in a sugar-based diet. The effects of propiconazole in combination with chlorantraniliprole enhanced mortality risk. The detrimental effects of the two pesticides were for the most part reduced when either or both of the phytochemicals were present in the diet. These findings suggest that honey bees may depend on non-nutritive but physiologically active phytochemical components of their natural foods for ameliorating xenobiotic stress, although only over a certain range of concentrations; particularly at the high end of the natural range, certain combinations can incur additive toxicity. Thus, efforts to develop nectar or pollen substitutes with phytochemicals to boost insecticide tolerance or immunity or to evaluate toxicity of pesticides to pollinators should take concentration-dependent effects of phytochemicals into consideration.
Article
In this work, a simple sugaring-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SULLE) method coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) has been developed for rapid and sensitive determination of 17 phenolic compounds in honey. To achieve the maximum extraction efficiency of target analytes, several parameters, such as pH, ionic strength, extraction times and the volume of extracting solvent were optimized. Chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 column with a gradient methanol/aqueous formic acid elution, and the ECD was set at 1.0 V in oxidative mode. Under the optimal conditions, good linearity was obtained for 17 phenolic compounds with the coefficients of determination (R²) higher than 0.9986 in the range of 0.05–20 μg mL–1. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) for the 17 phenolic compounds were in the range of 0.20–1.26 μg kg–1 by ECD, 9–83 times lower than those obtained with UV detection. Satisfactory recoveries between 79.8% and 105.7% were obtained for spiked honey samples with relative standard deviations (RSD) less than 5.1%. Compared with conventional LLE method, the proposed SULLE method provided higher extraction efficiency and had advantages of rapidity, ease of operation, much less consumption of organic solvents and samples. The proposed HPLC-ECD method featuring excellent sensitivity and selectivity has been applied to the quantification of phenolic compounds in honey samples of different floral origin.
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The aim of this, comparative in nature, study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant activity of bee pollen, Quercus ilex honey, and saffron on the basis of the effective concentration of phytochemicals/antioxidants that could inhibit the DPPH free radical by 60% (EC60), using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay, in combination with regression analysis. Aqueous, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts of the aforementioned matrices of different concentrations were subjected to analysis. Results showed that the effective concentration of phytochemicals/antioxidants found in bee pollen, Quercus ilex honey and saffron could inhibit the DPPH free radical by 60% (EC60). The respective order of the significantly different (p < 0.05) antioxidant power was: Bee pollen > saffron > Quercus ilex honey. Results were further evaluated using standard gallic acid and quercetin. The use of a new index for the expression of the in vitro antioxidant power of natural products/foods may be of great importance for different bodies, concerning the producers, traders, consumers, and may be the solid basis for the development of numerous in vivo studies. Graphic abstract
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Eleven samples of Polish Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth., three Brassica napus and one Salix spp. honeys were characterized by melissopalynology and analysis of the compositions of their volatile fractions. Headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC–MS) using PDMS/CAR/DVB fiber was used for the isolation of low-molecular weight compounds which create a volatile fraction. To differentiate and indicate the most representative unifloral samples, chemometric techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical-tree clustering (HTC) were applied to the dataset of the chromatographic fingerprints. Based on the obtained results, a unique chemical fingerprint of phacelia honey was generated. This study allows us to discriminate the botanical origin of the phacelia honeys based on the GC–MS and HPTLC analysis. In case of the GC–MS analysis trans-linalool oxide, hotrienol, cis-linalool oxide and cis-epoxylinalool were identified as a predominant compound. Additionally lipophilic fractions obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) were subjected to the HPTLC analysis. It allowed the construction of a barcode-type identifier that could be used to differentiate the honey samples even without identifying the individual components of the obtained fraction.
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A sensitive dispersive micro solid‐phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography has been developed for preconcentration and determination of three flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin) in complex matrix samples. Parameters that affecting extraction efficiency have been optimized. The optimal extraction conditions is using 2 μg/mL of crab shell as the sorbent, extraction for 2 min at pH 7 and then eluting with 100 μL of methanol. As a result, the method shows good linearity (R >0.9994), low limits of detection (even to 0.08 ng/ml) and satisfactory recovery in real honey and rat urine samples. As an eco‐friendly biomaterial, crab shell powder is used as sorbent in pretreatment of flavonoids, and its adsorption mechanism has been investigated for the first time. Compared with the other reported methods, the proposed strategy is time‐saving, eco‐friendly and high sensitivity using HPLC (even achieving MS grade sensitivity). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
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In the present research we optimised an extraction procedure for the flavonoid aglycones: myricetin, quercetin and luteolin from honeys (as natural biological matrices), based on Amberlite XAD-4 resin followed by HPLC quantification. In addition, honeys from three geographical regions of Argentina were analysed with regard to the contents of these flavonoids. The extraction procedure was optimised for XAD-4 resin considering: resin/honey ratio, elution volume to desorb flavonoids and colour intensity of honeys. Differences in flavonoid recoveries were observed depending on the colour intensity. The flavonoid aglycones contents, in accordance with differences in geochemical characteristics and typical vegetation, varied with the geographical origin of honeys. The results obtained allowed us to consider these three flavonoids as chemical markers for the phytogeographical origin of honeys. In the case of monofloral honeys, the contribution of each one of the flavonoids was associated with the presence of a dominant pollen kind in these samples.
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Flavonoids were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) from seven floral honey samples of different botanical origin from different regions of Sudan. The flavonoids were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique using photo diode array detector (PDA). An isocratic and gradient systems for the resolution, identification and quantification of five flavonoids, namely; quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, hesperetin and isorhamnetin, were developed. Although the isocratic system resolved the five compounds, however it suffered from interference by the complex mixture of honey samples. The gradient system resolved three of five flavonoids, namely, quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, without interference by the complex honey matrix. Two flavonoids, apigenin and hesperetin, were observed to elute at close retention times, which lead to their interference with each other when injected in a mixture; however, absorption wavelength selection was found indicative of the presence or absence of either compound. The quantification of these flavonoids was done through the calibration curves of their standards. The obtained results were compared with reported results.
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The HPLC phenolic profiles of 52 selected unifloral honey samples produced in Europe were analysed to detect possible markers for the floral origin of the different honeys. Lime‐tree (five markers), chestnut (five markers), rapeseed (one marker), eucalyptus (six markers) and heather (three markers) honeys had specific markers with characteristic UV spectra. In addition, the flavanone hesperetin was confirmed as a marker for citrus honey, as well as kaempferol for rosemary honey and quercetin for sunflower honey. Abscisic acid, which had been reported to be a possible marker for heather honey, was also detected in rapeseed, lime‐tree and acacia honeys. Ellagic acid in heather honey and the hydroxycinnamates caffeic, p ‐coumaric and ferulic acids in chestnut, sunflower, lavender and acacia honeys were also detected. The characteristic propolis‐derived flavonoids pinocembrin, pinobanksin and chrysin were present in most samples in variable amounts. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry
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The aim of the present paper was to determine the flavonoids in monofloral sage (Salvia officinalis L.) honey which is characteristic and specific for the area of Croatian coast and islands. For that purpose 38 sage honey samples from two production seasons were analysed. After specific pollen content determination, and analyses of selected physicochemical parameters which confirmed that samples are in compliance with national and international regulations and can be regarded as unifloral sage honeys, flavonoid fraction was isolated and analysed using RP-HPLC/DAD method. The HPLC analysis showed that all examined sage honey samples contain quercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone), luteolin (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone), kaempferol (3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone), apigenin (4',5,7-trihydroxyflavone), chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone) and galangin (3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone), as well as p-coumaric (trans-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) and caffeic acid (3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid). Total amount of identified flavonoids varied from 109.4μg/100g of honey to 589.9μg/100g of honey, with the average of 288.5μg/100g of honey. All analysed honey samples showed common and specific flavonoid profile which could be the basis for differentiating sage from other monofloral honeys. Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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BACKGROUND: Twenty-seven Italian honey samples of different floral origin were analysed for total phenolic and flavonoid contents by a spectrophotometric method and for antioxidant power and radical-scavenging activity by the ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays respectively. In addition, the phenolic and flavonoid profiles were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV). RESULTS: The results of this study showed that honey contains copious amounts of phenolics and flavonoids. HPLC-UV analysis showed a similar qualitative polyphenolic profile for all honey samples analysed. The main difference among samples was in the contribution of individual analytes, which was affected by floral origin. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents varied from 60.50 to 276.04 mg gallic acid equivalent kg−1 and from 41.88 to 211.68 mg quercetin equivalent kg−1 respectively. The antioxidant capacity was high and differed widely among samples. The FRAP value varied from 1.265 to 4.396 mmol Fe2+ kg−1, while the radical-scavenging activity expressed as DPPH-IC50 varied from 7.08 to 64.09 mg mL−1. Correlations between the parameters analysed were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study shows that honey contains high levels of phenolics and flavonoids and that the distribution of these compounds is influenced by the honey's floral origin. Copyright
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 Profiles of flavonoid compounds of Apis mellifera and Melipona spp. honeys from Venezuela were analysed to evaluate entomological-dependent differences. The presence of ellagic acid was a characteristic of A. mellifera honeys from Venezuela, but its presence was variable in Melipona spp. samples. The number of flavonoid types present in individual samples did not exceed six and occasionally only one phenolic type was present. The diversity of flavonoid compounds in tropical honeys from Venezuela was lower than that previously measured in temperate honeys. Flavonoids such as myricetin, an unidentified chalcone and a flavonol glycoside were only found in Melipona honeys but not in all the samples; therefore, they cannot be foreseen as entomological markers to differentiate between the Apis and Melipona honeys under study. A preliminary discussion is made regarding flavonoids present in Melipona honeys and their probable link with the putative anticataract action of stingless bee-honeys.
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 Honey was collected from 24 stinglessbee nests in Venezuela. The flavonoid compounds in the phenolic extracts were analysed and related to the botanical, geographical and entomological origin of the honey. Honeys produced in savannas were richer in flavonoids compared with honeys from the forests. It was found that phenolic extracts of honey of the same geographical origin had similar flavonoid profiles, whereas the same could not be said of honeys of the same entomological origin, although the botanical origin of the samples was variable. It is proposed that analysis of stinglessbee honey eyedrops in terms of their flavonoid content can be used as a basis of authenticating and controlling for their geographical origin.
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High performance liquid chromatograms of the phenolic fraction of 19 samples of New Zealand manuka honey, some with high levels of non-peroxide antibacterial activity and some with no such activity, were identical, which indicated that phenolic components of this honey are not responsible for the presence or absence of this activity in manuka honey. Similarly, the result showed that geography does not influence the phenolic composition of manuka honey. Antibacterial bee peptides and the antibacterial β-triketone leptospermone were not detected in manuka honey. Methyl syringate constituted approximately 70% w/w of the phenolic fraction of manuka honey and can be regarded as a floral marker for this honey. High performance liquid chromatographic profiles of the phenolic components of manuka, heather, clover and beech honeydew honeys were significantly different and could be used to differentiate honeys if they can be shown to be as consistent as those of manuka honey.
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In this work specific pollen content, selected physicochemical parameters and flavonoid profile of 40 Croatian Robinia honeys from two production seasons were analysed. Results showed good compliance with national and international regulatory requirements, as well as with values typical for Robinia monofloral honey. All analysed samples showed same, typical flavonoid profile. Flavonoid content was different for two seasons, but rates of individual compounds remained unchanged. Higher concentrations of flavonoids were found in samples produced during dry season with high temperatures.
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Phenolic extracts were isolated from 35 honey and nine beebread samples obtained from different sources in Lithuania by using Amberlite XAD-2 resin. The antioxidant properties of extracts were assessed by the ABTS+ radical cation decolourisation and DPPH radical scavenging activity. It was found that all honey and beebread extracts were able to scavenge free radicals, however their scavenging activity varied in a wide range, on average between 43.0% and 95.7%. The preliminary screening of phenolic compounds in honey samples was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV and mass spectrometer detectors. The results obtained showed that all samples contain p-coumaric acid, kaempferol, chrysin and apigenin. This study demonstrates remarkable variations in antioxidant properties and content of phenolic compounds in honey from different sources; these variations should be considered in using honey as a source of natural dietary antioxidants.
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Aroma is an important quality factor in foods. The aroma of bee honey depends on volatile fraction composition, which is influenced by nectar composition and floral origin. Honey of unifloral origin usually commands higher commercial value, thus the floral determination and certification of unifloral honey plays an important role in quality control. This review concerns investigations made on the volatile fraction of bee honey by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Recent advances in extraction methods, results achieved, and comparisons of alternative dependable methods for determining floral origin of bee honey are discussed. We emphasize solid phase micro-extraction gas chromatography (SPME/GC) methodology and present some of the results obtained to date, plus the advantages and drawbacks of SPME/GS in comparison with other methods.
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A simple technique for routine analysis of flavonoids from honey has been described utilising a combination of filtration through the resin Amberlite XAD-2 and extraction with ethyl ether. The proposed method is less complex than other methods for honey flavonoid analysis reported previously. The HPLC conditions for flavonoid analysis have also been improved. This technique was applied to the analysis of flavonoids in 27 honey samples from the La Alcarria region (Spain). The total flavonoid content of the different samples ranged between 5 and 20 μg flavonoid/g honey. The major flavonoids in these samples were the flavanones pinocembrin and pinobanksin and the flavone chrysin. A total of 18 different flavonoids were detected in the honey samples analysed.
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Flavonoids were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) from seven floral honey samples of different botanical origin from different regions of Sudan. The flavonoids were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique using photo diode array detector (PDA). An isocratic and gradient systems for the resolution, identification and quantification of five flavonoids, namely; quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, hesperetin and isorhamnetin, were developed. Although the isocratic system resolved the five compounds, however it suffered from interference by the complex mixture of honey samples. The gradient system resolved three of five flavonoids, namely, quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, without interference by the complex honey matrix. Two flavonoids, apigenin and hesperetin, were observed to elute at close retention times, which lead to their interference with each other when injected in a mixture; however, absorption wavelength selection was found indicative of the presence or absence of either compound. The quantification of these flavonoids was done through the calibration curves of their standards. The obtained results were compared with reported results.
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A capillary electrophoresis method to determine and quantify some compounds of the polyphenolic fraction of honey has been carried out. A detailed method optimization was performed to separate the phenolic compounds present in honey using a methanol-water extract of Rosemary honey. This manuscript reveals the difficulties presented to carry out the peak identification using UV-vis coupled to capillary electrophoresis as detection system in honey. Honey is a complex mixture of compounds that requires very effective separation techniques to allow the identification of the constituents of the polyphenolic fraction. In order to study this fraction of honey, a capillary electrophoresis method was proposed. The study of the polyphenolic fraction was firstly accomplished in rosemary honey. This honey was spiked individually with 22 commercial standards that have been found previously in honey. Only chrysin, pinocembrin, kaempferol, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid could be identified, though chrysin and pinocembrin were overlapped. Because of this, only kaempferol and ferulic and p-coumaric acids were quantified. Furthermore, the method was applied in another five extracts of honey from different floral sources and the results obtained were similar. Therefore, other detectors such as the mass spectrometer should be employed to assign without any doubts the identity of the peaks present in the electropherogram of an extract of the polyphenolic fraction of honey.
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This paper describes several methods for isolation of the antibacterially active phenolic fraction of honey derived from the native New Zealand manuka tree, Leptospermum scoparium (Myrtaceae). This fraction consists of phenolic derivatives of benzoic acids, cinnamic acids and flavonoids, all of which have been identified previously in honeys which do not exhibit non-peroxide residual antibacterial activity. The flavonoids had not previously been identified in manuka honey. Furthermore, the flavonoids were different from those found in the leaves of manuka trees but were the same as those found in European honeys and propolis. While most of these phenolic products possess antibiotic activity, they do not individually or collectively account for the antibacterial activity of `active' manuka honey. Essentially all of this activity is associated with the carbohydrate fraction of the honey.
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A new technique for the analysis of flavonoids in honey has been developed. This uses filtration of honey through Amberlite-XAD-2 and purification of the flavonoid fraction by Sephadex LH-20. The flavonoid fraction is then analysed by HPLC. This technique allowed the identification of 16 flavonoids in honey, namely quercetin, kaempferol, 8-methoxykaempferol, quercetin 3-methyl ether, isorhamnetin, kaempferol 3-methyl ether, quercetin 3,3-dimethyl ether, quercetin 3,7-dimethyl ether, galangin, luteolin, apigenin, genkwanin, chrysin, luteolin 7-methyl ether, pinocembrin and pinobanksin. The flavonoids present in ten samples of honey from La Alcarria have been HPLC analysed by this technique. The fact that the flavonoid patterns are very similar, suggests that samples from other areas should be examined in order to assess if this procedure could be useful as an adjunct in studies of the geographical origin of honey.
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Flavonoids and other phenolics of Tunisian honey samples and propolis were analyzed to find correlations between botanical and geographical origin and chemical composition. Flavonoid content of honey was very variable (20−2400 μg/100 g). The richest samples contained the characteristic propolis flavonoids, while those containing fewer flavonoids were devoid of these substances. This is a difference with honeys from temperate areas, in which the poplar-derived flavonoids are present in all honey samples. In Tunisian honeys, and propolis, a new flavonoid, myricetin 3,7,4‘,5‘-tetramethyl ether, was detected. This is characteristic of Cistus spp. leaf exudates. Another minor compound was identified as quercetin 3,7,3‘-trimethyl ether. They were present in high amounts in propolis but were only detected in small amounts in honey. These results show that in border areas, such as Tunisia, where poplars are not always available for propolis collection, other plant sources can be used and their constituents detected in honey. Keywords: Phenolics; honey; propolis; flavonoids; characterization; geographical origin; botanical origin
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Phenolic metabolites present in rosemary honey and floral nectar were studied to find biochemical markers for honey floral origin. Rosemary nectar, from bee honey stomach, contained kaempferol 3-sophoroside (93%) and quercetin 3-sophoroside (7%) as the only significant constituents. All samples had a common flavonoid profile comprised of 15 flavonoids. Nectar glycosides were not detected in honey suggesting that they are hydrolyzed by the bee enzymes to render the corresponding aglycons. Honey flavonoid profiles were similar to those found for propolis, a plant resin collected by bees, and confirmed that the majority of the flavonoids present in honey originate from this source. The amount of kaempferol in the honey samples ranged between 0.4 and 1.2 μg/g. The coefficient of variation of kaempferol in the honey samples was much smaller than those observed for the rest of flavonoids, supporting its floral origin, and the propolis origin for the rest of flavonoids. The presence of kaempferol in rosemary honey cannot be considered as proof of its floral origin because this flavonol can originate from different flower nectars. However, its absence or presence in small levels (<0.3 μg/g of honey) could be considered additional evidence of a different floral origin.
Article
The content of the flavonoid kaempferol in different experimental rosemary honey samples produced in Aragón (Spain) and in some commercial rosemary honey samples produced in different Spanish regions was evaluated by HPLC. The content ranged between 0·33 and 2·48 mg kg−1 of honey. Nectar has been suggested recently as the origin of this flavonoid. Rosemary pollen contained kaempferol 3-diglucoside and 3-glucoside, and therefore could be an alternative source for the kaempferol found in rosemary honey. However, there was no correlation between the kaempferol present in honey and pollen content. This suggests that the contribution of pollen flavonoids to the pool of flavonoids found in honey is very small, and that the search for phenolic markers of the botanical origin of honey should be addressed to the identification of nectar flavonoids or other nectar constituents. © 1998 SCI.
Article
Seventeen flavonoid aglycones were identified in various experimental and commercial citrus honey samples by HPLC analysis. The flavanone hesperetin was detected in all samples. This flavanone was not detected in any of the honey samples, from diverse floral origin (including rosemary, lavender, sunflower, almond, sweet chestnut, white clover, Erisarum, Robinia, Rhododendron, Tilia, Prosopis, Eucalyptus and Calluna honeys) previously investigated. The analysis of the flavonoids present in orange nectar revealed that the flavanone hesperidin (hesperetin-7-rutinoside) was the major flavonoid detected and, therefore, this should be the main source of the hesperetin found in citrus honey. Hesperetin should be produced by hydrolysis of hesperidin by the bee enzymes present in honey. These results suggest that hesperetin could be used as a marker for the botanical origin of citrus honey.
Article
The flavonoids of sunflower honey were isolated and analyzed by different methods: RP-TLC, RP-HPLC/UV-Vis (diode array detection) using post-column derivatization, GC/SM. Five main compounds were identified as pinocembrin (5,7-dihydroxyflavanone), pinobank-sin (3,5,7-trihydroxyflavanone), chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone), gal-angin (3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone) and quercetin (3,5,7,3′,4′-pentahydroxy flavone). Two minor flavonoids were also detected: tectochrysin (5-hydroxy-7-methoxyflavone) and kaempferol (3,5,7,4′-tetrahydroxy flavone). All these compounds had been previously reported in propolis, another hive product. Honey is a source of flavonoids in the human diet. Flavonoid structures may provide an index of floral origin with further study.
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Apitherapy has become the focus of attention as a form of folk and preventive medicine for treating certain conditions and diseases as well as promoting overall health and well-being. In apitherapy, honey is the therapeutic agent used for dressing surgical wounds, burns or skin ulcers, as well as for dyspepsia, peptic ulcer, etc., because of its antioxidant activity. Therefore, it is important to determine the antioxidants in honey by analytical techniques. In the present study, the antioxidant activities of honeys from different floral sources were investigated by electron spin resonance (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and H2O2/NaOH/DMSO scavenging systems), liquid chromatography with coulometric array detection (LC-ED), and liquid chromatography with electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The antioxidant activities of some unifloral honeys (acacia, Chinese milk vetch, buckwheat and manuka) were evaluated using the radical scavenging systems. It was shown that DPPH radical scavenging activity was significantly different among the honeys, with buckwheat and manuka honeys having significantly higher scavenging activity than acacia honey. In addition, only manuka honey had specific scavenging activity for superoxide anion radicals. The compound responsible for this activity in manuka honey was identified by LC-ED and LC-MS. Careful examination of the LC-ED chromatographic patterns of manuka and other honey samples revealed a distinct peak in the chromatogram of manuka honey to be methyl syringate (MSYR). The radical scavenging activity of MSYR was specific for superoxide anion radicals, similar to the case of manuka honey. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Article
The general objective is to provide an alternative methodology based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) to characterize flavonoids from honey and hence determine its botanical origin. The specific objective is to compare the separation of flavonoids by CE with those achieved by HPLC to assess CE as an alternative technique for the determination of honey flavonoids. Fourteen different flavonoids isolated from honey were analysed by MECC and compared to the HPLC separations. It was difficult to find specific experimental conditions to separate all the flavonoids from honey in a single MEKC run. Three chromatographic conditions are optimized and, depending on the flavonoid markers sought in honey, the appropriate detection method should be chosen. Compared to the HPLC results, it is clear that CE could be an alternative technique in honey flavonoids analysis and particularly in the study of its geographical and floral origin.
Article
Certain phenolic acids and flavonoids are described in the literature as marker substances for several unifloral honeys. As not all authors utilised the same methods for extraction and determination, there are remarkable discrepancies in the published data concerning these substances. Ethyl acetate extracts which, aside from phenolic acids, also contain flavonoids were analysed by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole/Time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS). First, the mass spectra of 37 phenolic acids and flavonoids described in the literature were recorded. Consequently, sunflower honeys, lime honeys, clover honeys, rape honeys, and honeydew honeys were analysed in regard to these substances. By employing the ChromaLynx™ software, 34 of the 37 substances were identified quickly and clearly. By combining the retention time and the accurate molecular mass, it was even possible to identify several compounds which cannot be detected by diode array detection.
Article
Flavonoids, phenolic acids and abscisic acid of Australian and New Zealand Leptospermum honeys were analyzed by HPLC. Fifteen flavonoids were isolated in Australian jelly bush honey (Leptospermum polygalifolium), with an average content of 2.22 mg/100 g honey. Myricetin (3,5,7,3′,4′,5′-hexahydroxyflavone), luteolin (5,7,3′,4′-tetrahydroxyflavone) and tricetin (5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentahydroxyflavone) were the main flavonoids identified. The mean content of total phenolic acids in jelly bush honey was 5.14 mg/100 g honey, with gallic and coumaric acids as the potential phenolic acids. Abscisic acid was quantified as twice the amount (11.6 mg/100 g honey) of the phenolic acids in this honey. The flavonoid profile mainly consisted of quercetin (3,5,7,3′,4′-pentahydroxyflavone), isorhamnetin (3,5,7,4′-tetrahydroxyflavone 3′-methyl ethyl), chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone), luteolin and an unknown flavanone in New Zealand manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey with an average content of total flavonoids of 3.06 mg/100 g honey. The content of total phenolic acids was up to 14.0 mg/100 g honey, with gallic acid as the main component. A substantial quantity (32.8 mg/100 g honey) of abscisic acid was present in manuka honey. These results showed that flavonoids and phenolic acids could be used for authenticating honey floral origins, and abscisic acid may aid in this authentication.
Article
Flavonoids in Australian honeys from five botanical species (Melaleuca, Guioa, Lophostemon, Banksia and Helianthus) have been analyzed in relation to their floral origins. Tea tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia) and heath (Banksia ericifolia) honeys show a common flavonoid profile comprising myricetin (3,5,7,3′,4′,5′-hexahydroxyflavone), tricetin (5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentahydroxyflavone), quercetin (3,5,7,3′,4′-pentahydroxyflavone) and luteolin (5,7,3′,4′-tetrahydroxyflavone), which was previously suggested as a floral marker for an Australian Eucalyptus honey (bloodwood or Eucalyptus intermedia honey). These honeys of various floral species can be differentiated by their levels of total flavonoids, being 2.12 mg/100 g for heath honey and 6.35 m/100 g for tea tree honey. In brush box (Lophostemon conferta) honey, the flavonoid profile comprising mainly tricetin, luteolin and quercetin is similar to that of another Eucalyptus honey (yellow box or Eucalyptus melliodora honey). These results indicate that the flavonoid profiles in some of the Australian non-Eucalyptus honeys may contain more or less certain flavonoids from Eucalyptus floral sources because of the diversity and extensive availability of Eucalyptus nectars for honeybee foraging yearly around or a possible cross contamination of the monofloral honeys during collection, transportation and/or storage. Further analyses are required to differentiate and/or verify the botanical sources of the flavonoids that contribute to the flavonoid profiles of these honeys, by restricting honey sampling areas and procedures, employing other complementary analytical methods (e.g. pollen analysis, sugar profile) and using materials (e.g. nectar) directly sourced from the flowering plant for comparative studies. In Australian crow ash (Guioa semiglauca) honey, myricetin, tricetin, quercetin, luteolin and an unknown flavonoid have been found to be the main flavonoids, which is characteristic only to this type of honey, and could thus be used as the floral marker, while in Australian sunflower (Helianthus annuus) honey, the content of total flavonoids is the smallest amount comparing to those in the other honeys analysed in this study. However, the flavonoid quercetin and the flavonoid profile mainly consisting of quercetin, quercetin 3,3′-dimethyl ether (5,7,4′-trihydroxy-3,3′-dimethoxyflavone), myricetin and luteolin are characteristic only to this sunflower honey and could thus be used for the authentication.
Article
Honey contains a variety of metals. Major metals are primarily derived from soil and nectar-producing plants, but consideration also needs to be given to environmental pollution or other anthropogenic sources of metals in honey, especially of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn, which may present hazards to human health and adversely affect the quality and the safety of honey.This review surveys the literature from the past 15 years on determination of the metal content of honey by atomic absorption and emission spectrometries. It pays particular attention to sample treatment, sample preparation and measurement techniques. It also discusses the suitability of information on the composition of metals in honey for classifying according to botanical and geographical origin or indicating and controlling environmental pollution.
Article
Twenty-six phenolic compounds from honey samples with different floral origin were analysed by capillary zone electrophoresis. All the phenolics were separated on a fused-silica column (50 cm × 50 μm) using 100 mM sodium borate buffer (pH 9.5)−20% methanol. This technique was applied to the separation of phenolic compounds from heather, lavender, acacia, rape, sunflower, rosemary, citrus, rhododendron, thyme, chestnut-tree and calluna honey samples, to establish correlations between the phenolics profiles and the botanical origin of the honey. Some individual honey samples showed potential floral markers. Thus, thyme honey was characterised by the presence of rosmarinic acid, heather honey by ellagic acid, citrus honey by hesperetin and lavender honey by naringenin.
Article
A sensitive and accurate method for simultaneous separation and determination of four phenolic compounds, including caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and hesperetin in Chinese citrus honey by high performance liquid chromatography using electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) has been established. Chromatographic separation was performed using a reversed phase column and methanol/4% (v/v) aqueous acetic acid as the mobile phase. The detection and quantification limits of the four compounds with ECD were 6–14 times greater than those obtained with diode-array detection (DAD). All calibration curves of the four phenolic compounds showed good linearity (r ⩾ 0.9994) within the test ranges, 1.10–66 μg/ml, 0.35–70 μg/ml, 0.16–16 μg/ml and 0.03–10 μg/ml, respectively. The recoveries ranged from 98.9% to 100.3%. The extraction process was very simple, because of the dissolution of honey only involving water. Taken together, the application of ECD in honey determination leads to a significant improvement in the quantification of phenolic compounds, whereby paying the way for the establishment of a better quality control of citrus honey.