Anti-alcoholic effects of honeys from different floral origins and their correlation with honey chemical compositions

High-resolution mass spectrometry-based assessment of chemical composition's effect on the honey color

Honey is a nutrient-rich natural functional food, with its color being considered as a key indicator of quality and consumer acceptance. Although various secondary metabolites are closely related to the color of honey, the specific substances and their exact effects on honey color remain unclear. In this study, the chemical composition, such as organic acids, polyphenols and vitamins, in different colored honey (Acacia, buckwheat, linden, vitex, lychee and jujube honey) were quantitatively analyzed using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LCHRMS). The correlations between the chemical composition and the honey color were established by the mantel test. The results showed that quinic acid, ascorbic acid, and other composition were identified as significantly related with honey color. The validation experiments indicated that adding these significantly related substances to honey samples could multiplicatively deepen the honey color, and the value of the deepening color was positively correlated with that of the initial color. The study developed a practical and systematic LCHRMS method for analyzing chemical composition in honey. The results provided valuable scientific insights into the relationship between chemical composition and honey color. Additionally, it introduced a novel and feasible approach for investigating the effects of substances on the color of complex mixture systems.

Revealing novel insights into the enhancement of quality in black tea processing through microbial intervention

Black tea is highly favored by consumers worldwide, with enzymatic reactions being recognized as a pivotal factor influencing tea quality. The role of microorganisms in shaping the composition of black tea has emerged as a focus of research due to their involvement in enzyme catalysis and metabolic processes. In this study, full-length amplicon sequencing combined with qPCR more accurately reflected microbial profile, and Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Paucibacter, and Cladosporium were identified as the main microbial genera. Moreover, by comprehensively analyzing color, aroma, and taste components over time in black tea samples, correlations were established between the dominant genus and various quality factors. Notably, peroxidase activity levels, total soluble sugar content, and tea pigments concentration exhibited significant associations with the dominant genus. Consequently, this microbiological perspective facilitated the exploration of driving factors for improving black tea quality while establishing a theoretical foundation for quality control in industrial production.

Composition, functional properties and safety of honey: a review

Honey has been used not only as a food source but also for medicinal purposes. Recent studies have indicated that honey exhibits antioxidant, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic and anti-obesity properties, as well as anticancer, anti-atherosclerotic, hypotensive, neuroprotective and immunomodulatory activities. These health benefits of honey could be attributed to its wide range of nutritional components, including polysaccharides and polyphenols, which have been proven to possess various beneficial properties. It is notable that the composition of honey can also be affected by nectar, season, geography and storage condition. Moreover, the safety of honey requires caution to avoid any potential safety incidents. Therefore, this review aims to provide recent research regarding the chemical composition, biological activities and safety of honey, which might be attributed to comprehensive utilization of honey. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Detoxification activity of bioactive food compounds against ethanol-induced injuries and hangover symptoms: A review

Alcohol drinking is a popular activity among adolescents in many countries, largely due to its pleasant, relaxing effects. As a major concern, ethanol consumption put the drinkers at risk of nutrients' deficiency due to the disordered eating, anorexia, and malabsorption of nutrients. Moreover, alcohol drinking may lead to the development of hangover symptoms including diarrhea, thirsty, fatigue, and oxidative stress. A broad range of functional food components with antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory properties including pectin, aloe vera polysaccharides, chito-oligosaccharides, and other herbal components have been explored due to their detoxification effects against ethanol. The underlying anti-hangover mechanisms include reducing the intestinal absorption of ethanol or its metabolites, increasing the activity of ethanol metabolizing enzymes, development of fatty acid β-oxidation in mitochondria, inhibition of inflammatory response, blocking the target receptors of ethanol in the body, and possession of antioxidant activity under the oxidative stress developed by ethanol consumption. Therefore, the development of bioactive food-based therapeutic formula can assist clinicians and also drinkers in the alleviation of alcohol side effects.

Honey Origin Authentication via Mineral Profiling Combined with Chemometric Approaches

In the present study, the potential of elemental analysis combined with statistical tools to identify honey origin was evaluated by mineral characterization of 173 honeys of 13 floral types (acacia, fir, spruce, linden, chestnut, lavender, coriander, thistle, honeydew, rosemary, sage, euphorbia and ziziphus plant species) collected from five geographical regions (Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Morocco). The objective of the study was to accurately and reliably differentiate the mineral composition among honey varieties. The aim was to establish traceability, to ensure product authenticity and to improve quality control measures within the honey industry. For this purpose, 18 major, minor and trace elements were quantified using microwave digestion, followed by ICP-MS measurement. Statistical evaluation of elemental concentration was undertaken using principal component analysis (PCA) to distinguish honey floral types. The research give light on the specific elements that can serve as indicators for determining the geographical and botanical source of honey. Our findings indicate that certain elements, such as Mn, K, and Ca, are primarily influenced by the type of pollen present in the honey, making them indicative of the floral source. On the other hand, levels of Na, Mg, and Fe were found to be more strongly influenced by environmental factors and can be considered as markers of geographical origin. One novel aspect of this research is the exploration of the relationship between honey minerals and honey botanical source. This was achieved through the analysis of chestnut tree samples and a subsequent comparison with the composition of chestnut honey.

Synergistic mechanism for the bioactivity fortification of licorice by honey

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Honey-processed licorice has been used since ancient times. It was recorded that honey-processing has the effect of improving the immunomodulatory efficacy of licorice, which has been confirmed by modern pharmacological studies. However, it is still unknown why honey-processing can enhance the immunomodulatory activity of licorice. Our previous research demonstrated that honey has natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) characteristics. In this study, we investigated the synergistic effect of honey on licorice to elucidate the possible potentiation of honey-frying on licorice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Immunological experiments were conducted to investigate whether the honey-processing could enhance the immunomodulatory efficacy of licorice in vivo. Then, the synergistic mechanism of honey and licorice was explored based on cell bioactivity tests, metabolomics analysis, bioavailability test, and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectra.

RESULTS

Pharmacological experiment verified that honey-processing enhanced the immunomodulatory efficacy of licorice. Moreover, honey increased the total flavonoid and polysaccharide contents in licorice decoction, improved the thermal stability and oral bioavailability of certain pharmacologically active constituents, and augmented their overall immunostimulatory functions. Similar effects of honey were also observed with a honey analogue GFSH, a NADES made of glucose, fructose, and sucrose with certain amount of water. The above effects might be due to multiple molecular interactions between active compounds and sugar molecules of honey.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate that the biological activities of medicinal plants might be fortified by honey due to the synergism between licorice and honey. At the meantime, these findings provide theoretical and empirical basis for potential novel applications of honey or other NADESs at augmenting the health-promoting effects of medicinal plants.

A Comprehensive Survey of Phenolic Constituents Reported in Monofloral Honeys around the Globe

The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the large variety of phenolic compounds that have to date been identified in a wide range of monofloral honeys found globally. The collated information is structured along several themes, including the botanical family and genus of the monofloral honeys for which phenolic constituents have been reported, the chemical classes the phenolic compounds can be attributed to, and the analytical method employed in compound determination as well as countries with a particular research focus on phenolic honey constituents. This review covers 130 research papers that detail the phenolic constituents of a total of 556 monofloral honeys. Based on the findings of this review, it can be concluded that most of these honeys belong to the Myrtaceae and Fabaceae families and that Robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia, Fabaceae), Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium, Myrtaceae), and Chestnut (Castanea sp., Fagaceae) honeys are to date the most studied honeys for phenolic compound determination. China, Italy, and Turkey are the major honey phenolic research hubs. To date, 161 individual phenolic compounds belonging to five major compound groups have been reported, with caffeic acid, gallic acid, ferulic acid and quercetin being the most widely reported among them. HPLC with photodiode array detection appears to be the most popular method for chemical structure identification.

Eleocharis dulcis corm: phytochemicals, health benefits, processing and food products

Eleocharis dulcis, an aquatic plant belonging to Cyperaceae family, is indigenous to Asia, and also occurs in tropical Africa and Australia. The edible corm part of E. dulcis is a commonly consumed aquatic vegetable with a planting area of 44.46 × 10³ hm² in China. This work aims to explore the potential of E. dulcis corm for use as a new food source for sufficient nutrients and health benefits by reviewing its nutrients, phytochemicals, functions, processing and food products. Eleocharis dulcis corm contains starches, dietary fibers, non-starch polysaccharides, proteins, amino acids, phenolics, sterols, puchiin, saponins, minerals and vitamins. Among them, phenolics including flavonoids and quinones could be the major bioconstituents that largely contribute to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antitumor, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and hypolipidemic functions. Peel wastes of E. dulcis corm tend to be enriched in phenolics to a much higher extent than the edible pulp. Fresh-cut E. dulcis corm can be consumed as a ready-to-eat food or processed into juice for beverage production, and anti-browning processing is a key to prolonging shelf life. Present food products of E. dulcis corm are centered on various fruit and vegetable beverages, and suffer from single categories and inadequate development. In brief, underutilized E. dulcis corm possesses great potential for use as a new food source for sufficient nutrients and health benefits. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

History, phytochemistry, experimental pharmacology and clinical uses of honey: A comprehensive review with special reference to Unani medicine

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Honey is one of the most popular functional foods, speculated to be in use since the advent of human civilization. Its health-protective activity is endorsed by many religions and traditional medicines. In Unani medicine, honey is prescribed for many health conditions as wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, etc. In the present era, honey is gaining popularity over sugar for its myriad health benefits and low glycemic index. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive account of the biological activities and potential therapeutic uses of honey, with scientific evidence.

METHODOLOGY

In this paper, we have provided a comprehensive overview of historical uses, types, physical characteristics, bioactive constituents and pharmacological activities of honey. The information was gathered from Classical Unani textbooks and leading scientific databases. There is a plethora of information regarding various therapeutic activities of honey, and it is daunting to draw practical conclusions. Hence, in this paper, we have tried to summarize those aspects which are most relevant to clinical application.

OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Many important bioactive constituents are identified in different honey types, e.g. phenolics, proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, organic acids, etc., which exert important biological activities like anti-microbial, wound healing, immunomodulatory, anti-toxin, antioxidant, and many others. Honey has the potential to alleviate many lifestyle disorders, mitigate the adverse effects of drugs and toxins, and also provide healthy nutrition. Although conclusive clinical evidence is not available, yet honey may potentially be a safer alternative to sucrose for diabetic patients.

A Novel Chinese Honey from Amorpha fruticosa L.: Nutritional Composition and Antioxidant Capacity In Vitro

False indigo (Amorpha fruticosa L., A. fruticosa) is the preferred tree indigenous for windbreak and sand control in Northwest China, while information on nutritional and bioactive characteristics of its honey is rare. Herein, 12 honey of Amorpha fruticosa L. (AFH) were sampled in Northwest China and the nutritional composition was determined. Sixteen mineral element and ten dominant polyphenols content were identified and quantified by ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and HPLC-QTOF-MS (High performance liquid chromatography-Quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry), respectively. Moreover, AFH demonstrated high levels of DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity (IC50 100.41 ± 15.35 mg/mL), ferric reducing antioxidant power (2.04 ± 0.29 µmol FeSO4·7H2O/g), and ferrous ion-chelating activity (82.56 ± 16.01 mg Na2EDTA/kg), which were significantly associated with total phenolic contents (270.07 ± 27.15 mg GA/kg) and ascorbic acid contents (213.69 ± 27.87 mg/kg). The cell model verified that AFH exhibited dose-dependent preventive effects on pBR322 plasmid DNA and mouse lymphocyte DNA damage in response to oxidative stress. Taken together, our findings provide evidence for the future application of AFH as a potential antioxidant dietary in food industry.

Antioxidant Activity and Phenolic Profile of Selected Organic and Conventional Honeys from Poland

Honey is a natural food product hypothesized to have significant health-beneficial value. The results of recent studies indicate that the biological activity of honey can also be ascribed to phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity. The aims of this study were: To determine the phenolic profiles of several varieties of Polish honey and their correlation with various factors influencing the quality of honey, plus to verify the impact of production method (organic/conventional) and the pollen content on these profiles. In total, 11 organic and 11 conventional honey samples from Poland were investigated. The botanical origin of the samples was identified through melissopalynological analysis, whereas individual phenolic compounds were determined by the LC/MS analysis. The Folin-Ciocalteau assay was used for the determination of the total phenolic content (TPC). Moreover, the CIE L*a*b* color values were measured and matched with the above-mentioned parameters. The results of the study contribute to the discussion on the health benefits of organic farming. It was found that chrysin may act as a potential indicator compound. The study confirms the existence of the link between TPC and color, and it shows that there is a correlation between pinocembrin and galangin, two compounds that are reported to ameliorate insulin resistance.