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Molecules
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Quality Control of Bee Products: Functional and Chemical Properties
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Quality Control of Bee Products: Functional and Chemical Properties

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 17138

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Claudia Pașca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Apiculture and Sericulture Unit, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies, University of Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: Apis mellifera; propolis; bee pollen; bioactive compounds of bee products; animal biotechnology; environmental biotechnology; physicochemical analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Victorița Bonta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Apiculture and Sericulture, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies, University of Agricultural and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Mănăștur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: high-performance liquid chromatography analysis; gas chromatography analysis; contaminants; validated methods; LC-MS/MS analysis
Dr. Otilia Bobis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Life Science Institute “King Michael I of Romania”, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj, Manastur Street 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: food chemistry; bee products; plant extracts; isolation and characterization of plant extracts; chromatography; spectrometry; in vitro evaluations of biological activity of bee products (honey, propolis, bee pollen, royal jelly); foods and plant extracts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Daniel Severus Dezmirean

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Apiculture and Sericulture Unit, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies, University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: biotechnologies; bees; bee products; biodiversity; laboratory techniques
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This review summarizes the current knowledge on the complex and variable composition of bee products. These products have functional benefits due to a large number of biological activities; thus, interest in them has increased since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to their complex composition, a multitude of analytical methods have been used to study the quality and chemical characteristics of bee products. However, in order to obtain reliable and comparable data, such methods need to be standardized.

Moreover, the use of synthetic chemicals to control bee diseases is limited due to their negative effects on the quality of bee products.

Taking these issues into account, this Special Issue of Molecules will present studies on the functional properties and chemical composition of bee products to further disseminate crucial knowledge in this field.

Dr. Claudia Pașca
Dr. Victorița Bonta
Dr. Otilia Bobiș
Prof. Dr. Daniel Severus Dezmirean
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Apis mellifera
  • probiotic potential
  • antiviral potential
  • fermented bee products
  • heavy metals
  • bioactive compounds
  • validated methods
  • biological activities
  • pesticides
  • antibiotics
  • microorganisms

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 5063 KiB  
Article
Chemical Profiling and Nutritional Evaluation of Bee Pollen, Bee Bread, and Royal Jelly and Their Role in Functional Fermented Dairy Products
by Amira M. G. Darwish, Aida A. Abd El-Wahed, Mohamed G. Shehata, Hesham R. El-Seedi, Saad H. D. Masry, Shaden A. M. Khalifa, Hatem M. Mahfouz and Sobhy A. El-Sohaimy
Molecules 2023, 28(1), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28010227 - 27 Dec 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3894
Abstract
Honeybee products, as multicomponent substances, have been a focus of great interest. The present work aimed to perform the nutritional and chemical profiling and biochemical characterization of bee pollen (BP), bee bread (BB), and royal jelly (RJ) and study their applications in the [...] Read more.
Honeybee products, as multicomponent substances, have been a focus of great interest. The present work aimed to perform the nutritional and chemical profiling and biochemical characterization of bee pollen (BP), bee bread (BB), and royal jelly (RJ) and study their applications in the fortification of functional fermented dairy products. Their effects on starter cultures and the physicochemical and sensorial quality of products were monitored. A molecular networking analysis identified a total of 46 compounds in the three bee products that could be potential medicines, including flavonoids, fatty acids, and peptides. BB showed the highest protein and sugar contents (22.57 and 26.78 g/100 g), which cover 45.14 and 53.56% of their daily values (DVs), with considerable amounts of the essential amino acids threonine and lysine (59.50 and 42.03%). BP, BB, and RJ can be considered sources of iron, as 100 g can cover 141, 198.5, and 94.94% of DV%, respectively. BP was revealed to have the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents (105.68 and 43.91 µg/g) and showed a synergetic effect when mixed with RJ, resulting in increased antioxidant activity, while BB showed a synergetic effect when mixed with RJ in terms of both antioxidant and proteolytic powers (IC50 7.54, 11.55, 12.15, 12.50, and 12.65 cP compared to the control (10.55 cP)), reflecting their organoleptic properties and highlighting these health-oriented products as promising natural products for human health care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Control of Bee Products: Functional and Chemical Properties)
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14 pages, 1634 KiB  
Article
Characterisation of Bee Pollen from the Marche Region (Italy) According to the Botanical and Geographical Origin with Analysis of Antioxidant Activity and Colour, Using a Chemometric Approach
by Sara Castiglioni, Mariassunta Stefano, Paola Astolfi, Michela Pisani and Patricia Carloni
Molecules 2022, 27(22), 7996; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27227996 - 18 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1526
Abstract
Attempts have often been made to isolate and characterise monofloral pollens to correlate nutritional with botanical properties. Nevertheless, pollen harvested in a particular area that can have a high biodiversity could have healthier properties. In addition, the analysis of the pollen’s botanical composition [...] Read more.
Attempts have often been made to isolate and characterise monofloral pollens to correlate nutritional with botanical properties. Nevertheless, pollen harvested in a particular area that can have a high biodiversity could have healthier properties. In addition, the analysis of the pollen’s botanical composition can be important for characterising the typical flora of a specific geographical area. On this basis, various pollens collected in different locations of the Marche region (Italy) and in different harvesting periods were analyzed for botanical composition and antioxidant (total phenolic content, ABTS, DPPH and ORAC tests), granulometry and colour (CIE L*a*b*) properties to evaluate the biodiversity of pollen sources within a particular geographical area and to correlate this to the nutraceutical characteristics. Antioxidant activity results showed values generally higher than those of monofloral pollens harvested in the same areas but manually separated according to colour, shape and size. This suggests that even the floral species present in low percentages may have an influence on the nutraceutical properties of these products. The multivariate statistical elaboration of the obtained results permitted the separation of samples containing a prevalent botanical species and the grouping of all the samples into separate clusters corresponding to different areas of Marche. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Control of Bee Products: Functional and Chemical Properties)
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24 pages, 8119 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Some Types of Honey from Banat Region, Romania
by Silvia Pătruică, Ersilia Alexa, Diana Obiștioiu, Ileana Cocan, Isidora Radulov, Adina Berbecea, Roxana Nicoleta Lazăr, Eliza Simiz, Nicoleta Maria Vicar, Anca Hulea and Dragoș Moraru
Molecules 2022, 27(13), 4179; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27134179 - 29 Jun 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3181
Abstract
Honey is a natural product with multiple health benefits. The paper presents the chemical characterization and the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of ten types of honey (knotweed, linden, wild cherry, acacia, honeydew, oilseed rape, sunflower, phacelia, plain polyflora and hill polyflora) from the [...] Read more.
Honey is a natural product with multiple health benefits. The paper presents the chemical characterization and the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of ten types of honey (knotweed, linden, wild cherry, acacia, honeydew, oilseed rape, sunflower, phacelia, plain polyflora and hill polyflora) from the Banat region, Romania. We studied the water content, dry matter, impurities, acidity and pH of honey. We also determined the content of reducing sugar, minerals and flavonoids and the total phenolic content. All honey samples analysed showed good nutritional characteristics according to the standard codex for honey. From the analysis of the mineral content of the honey samples, we observed a variability in the macro and microminerals, influenced by the botanical origin, ranging between 0.25% (wild cherry honey) and 0.54% (honeydew). The toxic metals’ (Cd and Pb) levels met the standard for almost all samples analysed except for knotweed. The flavonoid content of the samples ranged from 9.29 mg QE/100 g for wild cherry honey to 263.86 mg QE/100 g for linden honey, and for polyphenols between 177.6 mgGAE/100 g for acacia honey and 1159.3 mgGAE/100 g for honeydew. The best antioxidant capacity was registered in the case of linden honey (79.89%) and honeydew (79.20%) and the weakest in acacia (41.88%) and wild cherries (50.4%). All studied honey samples showed antimicrobial activity, depending on the type of honey, concentration and strain analysed. The novelty of this study is given by the complex approach of the study of honey quality, both from the perspective of chemical attributes and the evaluation of the antimicrobial potential on specific strains in correlation with the botanical and geographical origin of the analyzed area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Control of Bee Products: Functional and Chemical Properties)
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Review

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24 pages, 941 KiB  
Review
Current Status of the Bioactive Properties of Royal Jelly: A Comprehensive Review with a Focus on Its Anticancer, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antioxidant Effects
by Sara Botezan, Gabriela-Maria Baci, Lilla Bagameri, Claudia Pașca and Daniel Severus Dezmirean
Molecules 2023, 28(3), 1510; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031510 - 3 Feb 2023
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 7194
Abstract
Royal jelly (RJ) has been one of the most widely used natural products in alternative medicine for centuries. Being produced by both hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands, RJ exhibits an extraordinary complexity in terms of its composition, including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, polyphenols, vitamins, and [...] Read more.
Royal jelly (RJ) has been one of the most widely used natural products in alternative medicine for centuries. Being produced by both hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands, RJ exhibits an extraordinary complexity in terms of its composition, including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, polyphenols, vitamins, and hormones. Due to its heterogeneous structure, RJ displays various functional roles for honeybees, including being involved in nutrition, learning, memory, and social behavior. Furthermore, a wide range of studies reported its therapeutic properties, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities, to name a few. In this direction, there is a wide range of health-related problems for which the medical area specialists and researchers are continuously trying to find a cure, such as cancer, atherosclerosis, or infertility. For the mentioned diseases and more, it has been proven that RJ is a key player in finding a valuable treatment. In this review, the great impact of RJ as an alternative medicine agent is highlighted, with a focus on its anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. Moreover, we link it to its apitherapeutic potential by discussing its composition. Herein, we discuss a wide range of novel studies and present the latest research work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Control of Bee Products: Functional and Chemical Properties)
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