Honey and its antibacterial properties

  • Thread starter Thread starter wolski888
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Properties
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the antibacterial properties of honey, particularly focusing on different types of honey such as Buckwheat, Clover, Wildflower, and Agave. Participants explore the chemical and physical mechanisms behind honey's antibacterial effects, including the roles of hydrogen peroxide, antioxidants, water concentration, and specific proteins like defensin-1. The conversation also touches on historical uses of honey in combating infections.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that Buckwheat honey has high levels of antioxidants and hydrogen peroxide, raising questions about how these factors interact with its antibacterial properties.
  • One participant reports an experiment indicating that Buckwheat honey significantly inhibits the growth of certain bacteria, while other honeys like Clover and Wildflower show no antibacterial activity.
  • There is a suggestion that the effectiveness of honey may depend on whether it is raw and unprocessed, with some participants questioning the claims about different honey types.
  • Another participant argues that honey's antibacterial activity is more related to its physical properties, particularly water activity, rather than its chemical composition or antioxidant content.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential risks of botulism in infants associated with honey consumption.
  • A question is posed regarding the osmotic effects of sugar in preserving meat, drawing a parallel to honey's antibacterial properties.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the mechanisms behind honey's antibacterial properties, with some emphasizing chemical factors while others focus on physical properties. There is no consensus on the effectiveness of various honey types, as some claims are contested by experimental findings.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the importance of water activity versus water content in honey, as well as the potential for misleading claims about antioxidants. The discussion includes references to historical uses of honey, but lacks definitive conclusions about its efficacy or safety.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those studying microbiology, food science, or historical medicinal practices, as well as individuals curious about the properties of natural substances like honey.

wolski888
Messages
25
Reaction score
0
Antioxidants react with reactive oxygen species (such as hydrogen peroxide) to produce water. And example of this is catalase which is present in bacteria such as E. coli and P. aeruginosa.

It is also known that Honey has antibacterial properties. One factor is hydrogen peroxide that kills the bacteria. Buckwheat honey, for example, has a great amount of antioxidants (causing its dark colour) and a great amount of hydrogen peroxide (more than most honeys). Don't they contradict each other?

And in an experiment I did, Buckwheat had the most negative effect on the growth of the previously mentioned bacteria. other honey's such as Clover, Wildflower, and Agave showed no antibacterial activity. Is there any way to make sense of this?

Another factor is water concentration. Honey is a lower amount of water tend to be more effective against bacteria. Buckwheat honey, again for example, has a low amount of water which agrees with the fact that it is good against bacteria.

Also, I researched that a protein that bees have called defensin-1 is found in honey. And it has the most effect on antibacterial activity. So does that mean, from the experiment, that Buckwheat usually contains a lot of defensin-1 while the honeys do not. Explaning how they showed no inhibition of growth in bacteria.

Any comments or if possible primary articles would be appreciated.
 
Biology news on Phys.org
wolski888 said:
And in an experiment I did, Buckwheat had the most negative effect on the growth of the previously mentioned bacteria. other honey's such as Clover, Wildflower, and Agave showed no antibacterial activity. Is there any way to make sense of this?
I know nothing about biology, but I became curious about reports honey was anti-bacterial, and did some googling last year. Most sites said the honey had to be raw and unprocessed, pretty much straight from the hive. Clover was said not to give the bees the right raw materials to produce the antibacterial stuffs. Wildflower was supposed to be good. It's interesting to find your experiment contradicted that latter claim.

I was curious to what extent primitive man might have used honey to combat infections, but didn't find anything particularly enlightening about that.
 
Honey by its chemical composition is not that "antibacterial" - most of the stuff about its "antioxidants" is hype. That said, it does have significant physical antibacterial activity and that's attrbutable not so much to water content (%) as water activity. Water activity refers to the amount of free water avaiable for microbial growth and honey's high sugar content binds water well. This factor is more static (inhibits growth) than cidal (killing). Honey has been used to treat infections and it's efficacy is attributed to lowering of water activity.
Be aware that honey is also been associated with fatal botulism in infants due to bacterial carriage.
 
Dear Wolski888 Try this website.
http://bio.waikato.ac.nz/honey/contents.shtml
has loads of information on honey
can also use google using keywords "honey" and "pdf" to find article listed in the primary literature on honey
 
Thank you all. I have tried Google Scholar, found some good stuff and should be fine.
 
JorgeLobo said:
Honey by its chemical composition is not that "antibacterial" - most of the stuff about its "antioxidants" is hype. That said, it does have significant physical antibacterial activity and that's attrbutable not so much to water content (%) as water activity. Water activity refers to the amount of free water avaiable for microbial growth and honey's high sugar content binds water well. This factor is more static (inhibits growth) than cidal (killing). Honey has been used to treat infections and it's efficacy is attributed to lowering of water activity.
Be aware that honey is also been associated with fatal botulism in infants due to bacterial carriage.

Since the OP has answered, I hope this is not considered a hijack:
Question for you since you seem to know the field.
Packing meat in salt, or brine, inhibits spoilage due to the dying out of cells, bacterial cells are rendered inert.

Does packing in sugar also dry out bacterial cells - any osmotic pressure involved - or is it only a function of what you have mentioned regarding water activity.
 

Similar threads

Engineering Using UV-C as an alternative for "barbicide" (antibacterial solution)
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Does oxidative stress play a role in Covid and its severity?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
This will save millions of lives: LifeStraw
  • · Replies 37 ·
2
Replies
37
Views
8K
Undergrad Empirical temperature scales using different thermometers
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
Undergrad Friction Properties: My Understanding & Assumptions
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Is my fictional Solar System stable and realistic?
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
6K
What colors and attributes could alien flora & fauna have?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
6K
Dam Failures and Infrastructure Damage in a Changing Environment
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
5K
Investigation of hydrogen-on-demand systems (HODS)
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
32K
The Scientist as Hero - or not
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K