Honey bee as an antibacterial agent: compound identification methods that inhibit pathogenic bacteria

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the scientific evidence supporting the use of Apis mellifera honey as an antibacterial agent.

Design/methodology/approach: An exhaustive review of scientific literature was carried out, the collected information was about the different kinds of honey that have been reported to have antibacterial properties, the compounds related to such activity, the main chromatographic methods used for their identification, and the pathogens that have been studied.

Results: The antibacterial properties of honey have been widely studied internationally, especially in monofloral honeys, focusing on the ability to inhibit pathogenic bacteria using different methods such as agar diffusion, disk diffusion, and broth and agar dilution. These properties have been attributed to its high sugar content, low moisture content, its acidic pH, as well as the diversity of chemical compounds it contains, mainly highlighting molecules such as hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal, phenolic acids, flavonoids, peptides, glycopeptides and diverse proteins identified by chromatographic analysis.

Limitations on study/implications: Currently honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a food with great potential to be used as an alternative to the problem of antibiotic resistance of certain pathogens to antibiotics.

Findings/conclusions: Bee honey has the ability to inhibit bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomona aeruginosa and Enterobacter especie among other types of bacteria, both Gram positive and negative bacteria. This ability can be attributed to the diversity of chemical compounds found in honeys and these compounds vary widely depending on the vegetation that surrounds the hives; therefore, the geographical origin of honey makes it unique in terms of its composition and antimicrobial activity.