Honey

The meaning of honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance. This includes water or other sweeteners and more.

Fructose and glucose are the main carbohydrates that can be found in honey.

 

The use of natural honey as food and medicine by mankind has been in existence from time immemorial. In fact, records have it that raw honey is the most ancient sweetener, and it was noted to have been in using throughout the world several million years ago. Natural honey is a sweet, flavorful liquid food of high nutritional value.

 

Natural honey is produced by honey-bees as blossom honey by secreting nectars of flowers, and honeydew honey (forest honey) by secreting the exudates of plant-sucking insects (Aphids).

 

Natural honey is widely embraced by all ages, and its use transcends the barriers of culture and ethnicity. The use of honey is even advocated and embraced by all religious and cultural beliefs.

 

Natural honey is a liquid spoken of by all religious books and accepted by all generations, traditions and civilizations, both ancient and modern.

 

In recent years, however, there has been so much interest in the use of “natural” and “healthy” food additives and making them part of routine health-promoting substances in diets.

 

Due to its healthy and it being natural, honey has been gaining interest as a substitute sweetener in foods. Honey-sweetened products are viewed as value-added and consumers are willing to pay more for them compared to products containing other artificial sweeteners.

 

Honey is a viscous solution containing various molecules, including

• fructose and glucose (80–85%)
• water (15–17%)
• ash (0.2%)
• proteins and amino acids (0.1–0.4%)
• trace amounts of enzymes, vitamins and other substances, such as phenolic compounds.

However, the honey composition varies depending on the types of plants from which the bee consumes nectar. Nevertheless, nearly all honey worldwide contains similar types of phenolic acids, including caffeic, ellagic, ferulic and pcoumaric acids; flavonoids, such as apigenin, chrysin, galangin, hesperetin, kaempferol, pinocembrin and quercetin; and antioxidants, such as tocopherols, ascorbic acid, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and reduced glutathione (GSH).

 

Each constituent has unique nutritional and medicinal constituents, and the components act synergistically, giving honey utility in a variety of medical or nutritional applications.

 

Sucrose and corn syrup have been the traditional and most commonly used sweeteners in the dairy industry. Although honey has been added as a flavouring agent to yoghurt and ice cream, it is typically not used to replace sucrose or corn syrup in fermented dairy products (that is, yoghurt), since it is believed that honey may be inhibitory to lactic starter cultures.

 

As a prebiotic, honey contains carbohydrates known as oligosaccharides, which may improve gastrointestinal health by improving the growth of good bacteria (Bifidobacteria in fermented dairy food) in the gut.

 

Honey contains a great amount of oligosaccharides resulted in a large amount of beneficial bacteria’s growth in the gut. Because of that, honey can support the growth of Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrukeii bulgaricus, or Bifidobacterium bifidum similar to fructose or sucrose and was not inhibitory.

 

Lactic acid production was similar for all, except for bifidobacteria and was not influenced by sweetener type. Although lactic acid production was enhanced when bifidobacteria were grown in the presence of honey, acetic acid production was not affected.

 

Various oligosaccharides found in honey may be the reason for enhanced lactic acid production by bifidobacteria.

 

Moreso, it is known that honey enhanced the growth, activity and viability of commercial strains of Bifidobacteria typically used in the manufacture of fermented dairy products.

 

There are various types of honey based on colour, namely: light, amber, and dark.  Light honey can be recommended for manufacturing Lactobacillus acidophilus probiotic ice creams thus having a frozen dessert with the health advantageous medicinal properties of honey.

 

A traditional medicine branch, called apitherapy, has developed in recent years, offering treatments based on honey and other bee products against many diseases. 

 

The knowledge on this subject is compiled in various books and on relevant web pages such as www.apitherapy.com, www.apitherapy.org

Inhibitory properties of honey against pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella typhi, 

 

Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholera and Helicobacter pylori have been demonstrated.

 

In addition, honey is reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities against breast, cervical and prostate cancers as well as osteosarcoma.

Furthermore, honey is traditionally used as an anti-diabetic agent.

 

Microbial inhibition of honey has been attributed to its low pH as well as the presence of enzymes such as glucose oxidase, catalase, and lysozyme. Compounds such as 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (syringic acid), methyl- 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate, and 3,4,5- trimethoxybenzoic acid and methyl 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybenzoate (methyl syringate) have been isolated from manuka honey and their antimicrobial properties have been demonstrated by Molan and Russell and Russell et al.

 

Structurally, these aromatic acids are similar to benzoic and 4-hydroxybenzoic acids that are typically used in foods as preservatives to inhibit bacterial growth.

 

Studies have demonstrated that honey could be a potential agent against oxidative stress disorders including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, hepatic and renal failure and ageing processes.

 

The honey components pathways might be helpful to the health professionals for utilization of honey as dietary supplementation and alternative medicine for the management of diverse oxidative stresses and future drug development.

 

Extensive research (“in vitro” and “in vivo” studies) are therefore required and justified to explore the pharmacological potential of honey as a natural product and of the properties and therapeutic potential of its multiple individual chemical and biochemical components.

 

If you wish to make use of honey based on the above information, make sure you get it from good sources. Honey is one of the household foods items that can spread pathogens because of several unhygienic ways of preparing it.

 

If you wish to seek clarification on the above matters please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Mahc Health Care.