The Effect of the Use of Essential Oils in the Feed of Bee Families on Honey Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity
Source abstract
Abstract
Honey is a natural food with pharmacological properties. The present study was focused on the use of essential oils in the supplementary feeding of bee families for three weeks (spring). The purpose was to monitor the effect of essential oils (basil, thyme, juniper, cloves, mint, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary) on the chemical components of the resulting honey. The honey sampling period was carried out before the administration of essential oils in the supplementary feed of the bee families, after the administration of essential oils in the bee feed, respectively, after the first harvest (rapeseed). The honey samples were subjected to chemical analysis to determine humidity, impurities, ash, pH, acidity, total phenolic content (TPC) and flavonoid content (FC), reducing sugar content and antioxidant activity. In addition, the antimicrobial activity against nine strains was tested. We found out that all the essential oils used had a positive effect on the chemical composition of honey, especially the essential oil of oregano, mint, thyme, cinnamon. Experimental variants in which juniper and clove essential oil were introduced reduced the acidity of honey by 28.12% and 35.48%, respectively. Ash content varies between 0.23% and 0.46%, impurities content between 4.11% and 9.11%, while the values for pH were between 3.42 and 4.03. As for the TPC, they have increased considerably in all experimental variants to which essential oil has been added, compared to the batch fed only with sugar syrup, the highest value being recorded for the sample treated with cinnamon after the third harvest (163.94 mg/100 g). The FC values vary between 8.41–44.36 mg/100 g, depending of the treatment applied and the period of harvesting. Regarding the antimicrobial activity, the results highlighted that the essential oils present in the diet of bees produced honey with antimicrobial effect increased after two weeks after administration.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Bee Products Chemical Analysis · Insect and Pesticide Research · Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Faculty of Bioengineering of Animal Resources, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of Romania” from Timișoara, Calea Aradului No. 119, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Faculty of Food Engineering, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of România” from Timișoara, Calea Aradului No. 119, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of România” from Timișoara, Calea Aradului No. 119, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
References (73)
Show source-provided references
1. Honey and microbial infections: A review supporting the use of honey for microbial control10.1089/jmf.2010.0161 ↗
2. Synergistic effect of Honey and Thymus ciliatus against pathogenic bacteria10.2174/1876396001205010174 ↗
3. Antibacterial activity of honey against strains of Staphylococcus aureus from infected wounds10.1177/014107689909200604 ↗
4. Physicochemical characterization and antioxidant activity of commercial portuguese honeys10.1111/1750-3841.12201 ↗
5. Zainol, M.I., Mohd Yusoff, K., and Mohd Yusof, M.Y. (2013). Antibacterial activity of selected Malaysian honey. BMC Complement. Altern. Med., 13, Available online: https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-13-129.10.1186/1472-6882-13-129 ↗
6. Causes of the antimicrobial activity of honey10.1007/BF02768748 ↗
7. Comparative antibacterial activity of honey and gentamicina gainst Escherichiacoliand Pseudomonas aeruginosa
8. Khoo, Y.T., Halim, A.S., Singh, K.K.B., and Mohamad, N.A. (2010). Wound contraction effects and antibacterial properties of Tualang honey on full-thickness burn wounds in rats in comparison to hydrofibre. BMC Complement. Altern. Med., 10, Available online: https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-10-48.10.1186/1472-6882-10-48 ↗
9. Biological applications of honeys produced by Apis mellifera10.4067/S0716-97602013000400005 ↗
10. World Health Organization (WHO) (2021, December 20). Antimicrobial Resistance: Global Report on Surveillance. Available online: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/112647/WHO_HSE_PED_AIP_?sequence=1.
11. Antibacterial synergic effect of honey from two stingless bees: Scaptotrigona bipunctata Lepeletier, 1836, and S. postica Latreille. 180710.1038/srep21641 ↗
12. World Health Organization (WHO) (2017). A Global Health Guardian: Climate Change, Air Pollution and Antimicrobial Resistance, WHO.
13. Novel approaches to developing new antibiotics for bacterial infections10.1038/sj.bjp.0707432 ↗
14. Screening methods to determine antibacterial activity of natural products10.1590/S1517-83822007000200034 ↗
15. Insecticidal activities of aromatic plant extracts and essential oils against Sitophilus oryzae and Callosobruchus chinensis10.1016/S0022-474X(02)00017-6 ↗
16. Prabuseenivasan, S., Jayakumar, M., and Ignacimuthu, S. (2006). In vitro antibacterial activity of some plant essential oils. BMC Complement. Altern. Med., 6, Available online: https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-6-39.10.1186/1472-6882-6-39 ↗
17. Essential oils in food preservation: Mode of action, synergies, and interactions with food matrix components10.3389/fmicb.2012.00012 ↗
18. Use of Essential Oils in Bees
19. Honey antibacterial effect boosting using Origanum vulgare L. essential oil10.1155/2018/7842583 ↗
20. Synergistic Effect of Monofloral Honeys and Essential Oils against Pseudomonas aeruginosa10.9734/BMRJ/2013/5331 ↗
21. Research on the use of essential oils on the health of bee families
22. Influence of essential oils on bioproductive indices and health of bee families
23. Chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of the thyme and rosemary10.7813/2075-4124.2013/5-3/A.26 ↗
24. Chemical composition of the essential oil of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) from Eastern Morocco
25. Rapid classification of basil chemotypes by variousvibrational spectroscopy methods10.1021/jf021139r ↗
26. Chemical composition and antioxidant capacity of free volatile aglycones from basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) compared with its essential oil10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.01.045 ↗
27. Hashemi, S.M.B., Khaneghah, A.M., and de Souza Sant’ Ana, A. (2018). Chemical Composition of Essential Oils, Chemistry, Safety and Applications, IFT Press, Wiley Blackwell. [1st ed.].
28. Kokkini, S., Karousou, R., and Hanlidou, E. (2003). Herbs of Labiatae. Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Elsevier.10.1016/B0-12-227055-X/00593-9 ↗
29. Evaluation of essential oil obtained from Mentha piperita L. against multidrug-resistant strains10.2147/IDR.S218141 ↗
30. Alexa, V.T., Galuscan, A., Popescu, I., Tirziu, E., Obistioiu, D., Floare, A.D., Perdiou, A., and Jumanca, D. (2019). Synergistic/Antagonistic Potential of Natural Preparations Based on Essential Oils Against Streptococcus mutans from the Oral Cavity. Molecules, 24.10.3390/molecules24224043 ↗
31. Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Clove Leaf Essential Oil10.1021/jf060608c ↗
32. Increase in activity of essential oil components carvacroland thymol against Escherichia coli O157:H7 by addition offood stabilizers10.4315/0362-028X-68.5.919 ↗
33. Chemical composition and bioactivity of different oregano (Origanum vulgare) extracts and essential oil10.1002/jsfa.6089 ↗
34. The Chemical Composition of some Lauraceae Essential Oils and Their Antifungal Activities10.1002/ptr.1516 ↗
35. Investigation of Juniperus species of the United States for new sources of cedarwood oil10.1007/BF02859346 ↗
36. The effect of using prebiotic and probiotic products on intestinal micro-flora of the honeybee (Apis mellifera carpatica)10.1017/S0007485312000144 ↗
37. Economic benefits of using prebiotic and probiotic products as supplements in stimulation feeds administered to bee colonies
38. Pătruică, S., Peț, I., and Simiz, E. (2021). Beekeeping in the context of climate change. Scientific Papers, Animal Science. ISSN Online 2393-2260.
39. Bobiș, R. (2014). Researches on the Nutritional and Biological Value of Bee Pollen. [Doctoral Thesis, the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Biothnology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca]. Available online: http://www.usamvcluj.ro/files/teze/2014/margaoan.pdf.
40. International Honey Commision (2021, December 20). World Network of Honey Science. HarmonisedMethods of the International Honey Commission. Available online: http://ihc-platform.net/ihcmethods2009.pdf.
41. Gergen, I. (2004). Agri-Food Products Analysis, EUROSTAMPA Publishing House.
42. Ciulca, S., Roma, G., Alexa, E., Radulov, I., Cocan, I., Madosa, E., and Ciulca, A. (2021). Variation of Polyphenol Content and Antioxidant Activity in Some Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Populations from Romania. Agronomy, 11.10.3390/agronomy11122557 ↗
43. Determination of Total Flavonoids Contents and Antioxidant Activity of Ginkgo biloba Leaf by Near-Infrared Reflectance Method10.1155/2018/8195784 ↗
44. Screening of Brazilian Plant Extracts for Antioxidant Activity by the Use of DPPH Free Radical Method10.1002/ptr.687 ↗
45. Alexa, V.T., Szuhanek, C., Cozma, A., Galuscan, A., Borcan, F., Obistioiu, D., Dehelean, C.A., and Jumanca, D. (2020). Natural Preparations Based on Orange, Bergamot and Clove Essential Oils and Their Chemical Compounds as Antimicrobial Agents. Molecules, 25.10.3390/molecules25235502 ↗
46. Graham, J.M. (1992). Activities and Behaviour of Honey Bees, Bookmasters Inc.
47. European Union Directive (EU) (2021, December 20). European Union Directive 2001/110/EC, 32001L0110 Relating to Honey. Available online: www.eumonitor.eu/9353000/1/.
48. Turkish Food Codex (2021, December 20). Number 26026. Available online: https://www.tariff-tr.com/legislation/item/6840.aspx.
49. Analysis of some physical, chemical and microbiological aspects of honey samples produced and consumed in Turkey
50. McGregor, S.E. (1979). Composición y Propriedades De La Miel, Limusa. La Apicultura en los Estados Unidos.
51. Physicochemical Analysis and Mineral Contents of Honey from Farmers in Western States of Nigeria
52. Physicochemical characteristics and pollen spectrum of some Saudi honeys10.1016/S0308-8146(99)00096-5 ↗
53. Molan, P.C. (2006). Authenticity of honey. Food Authentication, Springer.
54. (2021). Tafere Dessie Ashagrie, Chemical composition and uses of Honey: A Review. J. Food Sci. Nutr. Res., 4, 194–201.
55. Physicochemical characteristics of honey from different origins10.1016/j.aoas.2015.10.015 ↗
56. Antioxidant Potential of Propolis, Bee Pollen, and Royal Jelly: Possible Medical Application10.1155/2018/7074209 ↗
57. Duca, A. (2018). Contributions to the Experimental Characterization of Indigenous Propolis Varieties. [Ph.D. Thesis, “Victor Babeş” University of Medicine and Pharmacy].
58. Duca, A., Sturza, A., Moacă, E.A., Negrea, M., Lalescu, V.D., Lungescu, D., Dehelean, C.A., Muntean, D.M., and Alexa, E. (2019). Identification of resveratrol as bioactive compound of propolis from western Romania and characterization of phenolic profile and antioxidant activity of ethanolic extracts. Molecules, 24.10.3390/molecules24183368 ↗
59. Evaluation of the antioxidant power of honey, propolis and royal jelly by amperometric flow injection analysis10.1016/j.talanta.2006.07.006 ↗
60. Identification and quantification of antioxidant components of honeys from various floral sources10.1021/jf0256135 ↗
61. Analysis of phenolic acids and flavonoids in honey10.1016/j.trac.2009.03.015 ↗
62. Nutraceutical potential of monofloral honeys produced by the Sicilian black honeybees (Apis mellifera ssp. sicula)10.1016/j.fct.2012.03.067 ↗
63. Characterization of avocado honey (Persea americana Mill.) produced in Southern Spain10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.02.068 ↗
64. Sugars content and physicochemical parameters of romanian rape honey
65. Antioxidant activities of some monofloral honey types produced across Turkey10.1016/j.sjbs.2018.02.011 ↗
66. Pauliuc, D., Dranca, F., and Oroian, M. (2020). Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic Content, Individual Phenolics and Physicochemical Parameters Suitability for Romanian Honey Authentication. Foods, 9.10.3390/foods9030306 ↗
67. Phenolic and flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of honey from Kosovo10.1080/00218839.2020.1714194 ↗
68. The Development of a Biochemical Profile of Acacia Honey by Identifying Biochemical Determinants of its Quality
69. Determination of the total phenolic, flavonoid and proline contents in Burkina Fasan honey, as well as their radical scavenging activity10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.10.006 ↗
70. Antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of phenolic compounds extracts of Northeast Portugal honey10.1016/j.fct.2008.09.062 ↗
71. Conventional use of honey as antibacterial agent
72. Growth inhibition of food borne pathogens and foods spoilage organisms by select raw honeys10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2004.03.025 ↗
73. Inhibitory activity of honey against foodborne pathogens as influenced by the presence of hydrogen peroxide and level of antioxidant power10.1016/S0168-1605(01)00505-0 ↗