Despite the recent approval of stingless bee honey to
the Argentine
Food Code, there are still many gaps in information. Likely, the main
reason for this is that multiple ecological and chemical factors influence
their production and antimicrobial properties. This work combined
metabolomic, microbiological, and physicochemical analyses to characterize
the honey ofTetragonisca fiebrigifrom
Northeastern Argentina. The antimicrobial activity tests showed that
honey samples (n = 24) inhibited some Gram-positive
and Gram-negative bacteria at different sensitivity levels. Furthermore,
samples selected for their high bioactivity revealed crystallizations,
a positive correlation with fungal growth, and the presence of flavonoids.
The major polyphenols annotated by liquid chromatography with tandem
mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis and supported by metabolomic
tools were quercetin 3,4′-dimethyl ether, pachypodol, jaceoside,
irigenin trimethyl ether, corymboside, chrysoeriol 7-neohesperidoside,
and corymboside. In contrast, samples missing antimicrobial activity
did not crystallize, lacked flavonoids, and were enriched in phenylethylamides.
Based on these findings, we discuss the significance of flavonoids
and phenylethylamides on honey’s antimicrobial activity and
food quality and how they may indeed reflect essential parameters
of the hive, such as microbial balance and eubiosis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.