Quantification of major royal jelly proteins using ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and application in honey authenticity

Determination of adulteration, geographical origins, and species of food by mass spectrometry

Food adulteration, mislabeling, and fraud, are rising global issues. Therefore, a number of precise and reliable analytical instruments and approaches have been proposed to ensure the authenticity and accurate labeling of food and food products by confirming that the constituents of foodstuffs are of the kind and quality claimed by the seller and manufacturer. Traditional techniques (e.g., genomics-based methods) are still in use; however, emerging approaches like mass spectrometry (MS)-based technologies are being actively developed to supplement or supersede current methods for authentication of a variety of food commodities and products. This review provides a critical assessment of recent advances in food authentication, including MS-based metabolomics, proteomics and other approaches.

Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Effect of Honey in the Prevention of Dental Caries: A Recent Perspective

The successful application of honey in wound care management has been achieved due to honey’s potent antibacterial effects, characterised by its multifactorial action. Impressive clinical efficacy has ignited its further use in diverse clinical disciplines, including stomatology. Indeed, there is increasing usage of honey in dental medicine as a preventive or therapeutic remedy for some periodontal diseases mainly associated with bacteria, such as dental caries, gingivitis and mucositides. Dental caries is undoubtedly a major oral health problem worldwide, with an increasing tendency of incidence. The purpose of this perspective review is to describe the recent progress in the laboratory and clinical use of honey in the prevention of dental caries, with emphasis on the antibacterial and antibiofilm effects of honey. The role of honey in the cariogenic process is also discussed. In addition, the quality of honey and the urgent in vitro evaluation of its antibacterial/antibiofilm properties before clinical use are highlighted. Findings based on data extracted from laboratory studies demonstrate the pronounced antibacterial effect of different honeys against a number of periodontal pathogens, including Streptococcus mutans. Although the promising antibiofilm effects of honey have been reported mainly against S. mutans, these results are limited to very few studies. From a clinical point of view, honey significantly reduces dental plaque; however, it is not superior to the conventional agent. Despite the positive in vitro results, the clinical effectiveness of honey in the prevention of dental caries remains inconclusive since further robust clinical studies are needed.

Honeybee and Plant Products as Natural Antimicrobials in Enhancement of Poultry Health and Production

The quality and safety attributes of poultry products have attracted increasing widespread attention and interest from scholarly groups and the general population. As natural and safe alternatives to synthetic and artificial chemical drugs (e.g., antibiotics), botanical products are recently being used in poultry farms more than 60% of the time for producing organic products. Medicinal plants, and honeybee products, are natural substances, and they were added to poultry diets in a small amount (between 1% and 3%) as a source of nutrition and to provide health benefits for poultry. In addition, they have several biological functions in the poultry body and may help to enhance their welfare. These supplements can increase the bodyweight of broilers and the egg production of laying hens by approximately 7% and 10% and enhance meat and egg quality by more than 25%. Moreover, they can improve rooster semen quality by an average of 20%. Previous research on the main biological activities performed by biotics has shown that most research only concentrated on the notion of using botanical products as growth promoters, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial agents. In the current review, the critical effects and functions of bee products and botanicals are explored as natural and safe alternative feed additives in poultry production, such as antioxidants, sexual-stimulants, immuno-stimulants, and for producing healthy products.