Medicinal Centauri Honey: a promising ingredient?

Honey is a natural product with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, has been used as a medicinal substance for centuries. Thisnatural product is mainly composed of a supersaturated solution of sugars, containing low water content and trace amounts of bioactive compounds. The flower source, climate, geographical origin, harvesting process and storage conditions are factors that influence the composition of the nectar, leading to significant changes in the chemical composition, physical properties, and bioactivity of honey¹. Centauri Honey is harvested from bee colonies located in the wild Alps of Turkey´s mountainous region, approximately 2,500 meters above the Black Sea. The bees live in caves far from human settlements and other bees, and they have access to medicinal endemic blooms throughout the year.

The aim of this work was to investigate the quality, physicochemical, nutritional parameters, and bioactivity of honey. The quality and physiochemical parameters was analysed by colour, moisture content, conductivity, pH and acidity, 5-HMF (5-Hydroxymethylfurfural), diastase index and proline. The nutritional values were determined assessing ash, protein content, sugars, carbohydrates and energy. The biological activity was evaluated through the antioxidant, antimicrobial activity (broth microdilution method) and cytotoxicity in cell lines (AGS, CaCo-2, MCF-7, NCI-H460, PLP2, HFF-2, and HaCat), and anti-inflammatory activity (using RAW 264.7 macrophages).

Further studies are ongoing to scientifically validate the medicinal properties of Centauri Honey due to its exceptional chemical composition and thus to become an innovative Ingredient.

 

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
16. November 2023