Bioactive constituents, in vitro radical scavenging and antibacterial activities of selected Apis mellifera honey from Kenya

Abstract

Summary There is limited information about the relative composition and health benefits of various honey consumed across Africa. This study aimed at estimating the bioactive constituents, in vitro radical scavenging and antibacterial activities of 16 kinds of honey obtained from different geographical locations in Kenya. Manuka 5 + honey was included for comparison. Some of the tested honey had biochemicals and bioactivities similar to or higher than Manuka 5 + honey. The honey exhibited DPPH radical scavenging ability, with several types of honey showing superior scavenging potential than Manuka 5 + honey, owing to their high phenol content. All types of honey inhibited the growth of E. coli and further showed a substantial amount of nonperoxide antimicrobial activity. The geographical origin of honey had an influence on its bioactive contents. Overall, these findings suggest that Kenyan honey has great therapeutic potential, and thus, its clinical application should not be overlooked.

Characterization of honeys produced by sympatric species of Afrotropical stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponini)

“…They were determined using the method of Dowd as in published procedures (Mokaya, Bargul, Irungu, & Lattorff, 2020). Briefly, 1 ml extract of the sample (1 g of honey in 4 ml of water) was mixed with 4 ml of distilled water, then 300 µl of 5% NaNO 2 was added and mixed.…”

“…They were quantified following the Folin-Ciocalteu method as described in published protocols (Mokaya et al, 2020). One gram of honey was diluted with 20 ml of distilled water.…”

Morphological alterations in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria exposed to minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentration of raw Malaysian stingless bee honey

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) has since called for urgent corrective actions including expansion of effective antibacterial therapies [7]. Combined with the higher demand for better quality food with consistent qualities, the search for foods naturally rich in bioactive compounds showing broad antibacterial activities has since been stepped up [8]. Studies have shown that raw H. itama honey is a possible candidate for the complementary treatment to combat AMR, following numerous claims of its excellent antibacterial activity against many superbugs [9,10].…”

Antibacterial Activity of Honey from Wild Species of Stingless Bees; <i>Plebenia hylderbrandii</i> and <i>Meliponula bocandei</i>

“…According to Ewnetu et al [62], stingless bee honey has higher antibacteri-al effects than Apis mellifera honeys. In western Kenya, Apis mellifera honey has been reported to possess antibacterial effects against E. coli [63]. However, no stingless bee honey has been explored for comparison purposes hence the purpose for this study.…”