In an investigation of the minor sugars of honey at this laboratory, examination by paper chromatography indicated that several oligosaccharides are present. These have not yet been identified. Since honey is the product of the reaction of honeybee (1) invertase with nectar sugars [sucrose, glucose, and fructose (2)], a comparison is being made of the sugars of honey with the oligosaccharides p...

Honey is a natural product with many attributes that are useful for humans. The consumption of honey is increasing because of its beneficial biological properties, including antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Even though honey is produced worldwide, many variants of this product have not been studied and their biological potential for alternative uses has not been evaluated. Because of i...

Highbush blueberry yields are dependent on pollination by bees, and introduction of managed honey bees is the primary strategy used for pollination of this crop. Complementary pollination services are also provided by wild bees, yet highbush blueberry is increasingly grown in regions outside its native range where wild bee communities may be less adapted to the crop and growers may still be tes...

Pollinators are required for producing 15-30% of the human food supply, and farmers rely on managed honey bees throughout the world to provide these services. Yet honey bees are not always the most efficient pollinators of all crops and are declining in various parts of the world. Crop pollination shortages are becoming increasingly common. We found that behavioral interactions between wild and...

BACKGROUND Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of honey have been largely recognized by various studies. Almost all of the potential benefits are associated with polyphenol content. Honey varieties from the arid region are reported to be rich in polyphenols, but data related to its bioactivity in vitro is greatly lacking. This study aimed at establishing the antioxidant and anti-inflam...

BACKGROUND/AIM To examine, for the first time, the effect of a selected Malaysian honey and its major components on the proliferation of cultured fibroblasts. MATERIALS AND METHODS Honey and some of its components, which include the sugars, the proteins, the hydrogen peroxide produced, and the phenolics, were exposed to cultured fibroblasts. The MTT colorimetric assay was used to assess cell ...

Mead is perhaps the oldest fermented drink in the world, yet it is difficult to find it commercially. A brief review of the history of mead, its value as a health tonic and technology of mead production has been given in the present paper. Fermentation of honey can be used to produce different varieties of mead, sherry, sparkling wine and fruit-honey wines and it may have different flavours dep...