This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of evaporation, gamma irradiation and temperature on the total polyphenols, flavonoids and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activities of Tualang honey samples (n = 14) following storage over three, six or twelve months. The mean polyphenol concentrations of the six gamma irradiated honey samples at three, six and twelve mo...

The antioxidant activities based on the free radical scavenging, reducing power, and bleaching inhibition were investigated for the three commonly used honeys in Malaysia, namely, tualang, gelam, and acacia honey. The antioxidant capacity of the honey samples was correlated with their biochemical constituents such as total phenol, total flavonoid content, and total water-soluble vitamins (vitam...

The bacterial and fungal communities of vitex honey were surveyed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA. Vitex honey samples were analyzed at different stage of ripening; the vitex flower was also analyzed, and the effect of the chemical composition in the experimental setup was assessed. The results confirmed the presence of dominant Bacill...

BACKGROUND Honey is used for nutritional, medicinal and industrial purposes and antibiotic residues may harm its quality and constitute a danger to human health. The broad spectrum antibiotic chloramphenicol (CAP) was used for curative purposes in veterinary medicine, but is now forbidden in European Union (EU) because of its many serious side effects (e.g. aplastic anaemia, grey syndrome, seve...

In this study, a simple, sensitive, selective and precise HPLC method is developed for the determination of oxytetracycline in bulk and honey samples. Separation of oxytetracycline was achieved on a Kromosil C18 analytical column (250 mm × 4.6 mm I.D., 5 μm particle size). The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile and water (85:15 v/v) at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min. The method was linear in...

Honey is generated by various bee species from diverse plants, and because the value of different types of honey varies more than 100-fold, it is a target for fraud. This paper describes a protocol that employs DNA metabarcoding of three gene regions (ITS2, rbcLa, and COI) to provide an inexpensive tool to simultaneously deliver information on the botanical and entomological origins of honey. T...

Honey is a sweet and healthy food produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) from flower nectars. Using bidimensional zymography, we have detected the, until now unrevealed, proteolytic activities present in row honey samples. The resulting zymograms were specific for each type of the four unifloral honey under study, and enzymes were identified as serine proteases by the use of specific inhibit...

This study quantitatively measured neonicotinoids in various foods that are common to human consumption. All fruit and vegetable samples (except nectarine and tomato) and 90% of honey samples were detected positive for at least one neonicotinoid; 72% of fruits, 45% of vegetables, and 50% of honey samples contained at least two different neonicotinoids in one sample, with imidacloprid having the...

Honey is a good source of several important chemical compounds and antioxidants and is harvested throughout the year. However, no study has determined how their contents change over the years. The aim of the present research was to investigate the changes in the phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant properties, as well as other physicochemical properties, of Malaysian acacia honey collected dur...

Tau-fluvalinate has been the most frequently used varroacide in Greece over the last decade. Application of the commercial apicultural product Apistan at the recommended dose does not seem to contaminate honey seriously. On the other hand, application of the nonauthorized for apicultural use, agricultural formulations, using various application techniques and doses may result in the presence of...