Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Some Types of Honey from Banat Region, Romania

Abstract

Honey is a natural product with multiple health benefits. The paper presents the chemical characterization and the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of ten types of honey (knotweed, linden, wild cherry, acacia, honeydew, oilseed rape, sunflower, phacelia, plain polyflora and hill polyflora) from the Banat region, Romania. We studied the water content, dry matter, impurities, acidity and pH of honey. We also determined the content of reducing sugar, minerals and flavonoids and the total phenolic content. All honey samples analysed showed good nutritional characteristics according to the standard codex for honey. From the analysis of the mineral content of the honey samples, we observed a variability in the macro and microminerals, influenced by the botanical origin, ranging between 0.25% (wild cherry honey) and 0.54% (honeydew). The toxic metals’ (Cd and Pb) levels met the standard for almost all samples analysed except for knotweed. The flavonoid content of the samples ranged from 9.29 mg QE/100 g for wild cherry honey to 263.86 mg QE/100 g for linden honey, and for polyphenols between 177.6 mgGAE/100 g for acacia honey and 1159.3 mgGAE/100 g for honeydew. The best antioxidant capacity was registered in the case of linden honey (79.89%) and honeydew (79.20%) and the weakest in acacia (41.88%) and wild cherries (50.4%). All studied honey samples showed antimicrobial activity, depending on the type of honey, concentration and strain analysed. The novelty of this study is given by the complex approach of the study of honey quality, both from the perspective of chemical attributes and the evaluation of the antimicrobial potential on specific strains in correlation with the botanical and geographical origin of the analyzed area.

Selected Characteristics of Multifloral Honeys from North-Eastern Romania

“…Many studies have been performed related to the presence of mineral elements in honey samples collected from polluted and intensively industrialized areas, as well as honey collected from unpolluted areas (Zn values were between 0.004 mg kg −1 and 36.40 mg kg −1 ; Cu values were between LOD and 33.00 mg kg −1 , and Pb content ranged was between LOD and 3.41 mg kg −1 ). The results lead to the same conclusion: all elements of the environment (water, air, soil) positively or negatively influence the quality of the product [2,10,13,42,46,[48][49][50][53][54][55][56][57][58][59].…”

The Effect of the Use of Essential Oils in the Feed of Bee Families on Honey Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity

“…Honey production of a bee family and its quality is influenced by the development of the bee family, the health of the bee family, the quantity and quality of nectar and the weather conditions [36][37][38].…”

The Influence of Body Weight on Semen Parameters in Apis mellifera Drones

“…Honey bees are among the most important pollinators for natural and agricultural ecosystems, with an estimated 70% of agricultural crops dependent on their pollination [1][2][3][4]. In addition to their major role as pollinators, honey bees provide bee products of particular importance in human and animal therapy [5][6][7][8].…”