Properties of bee honeys and respective analytical methods

A Comprehensive Narrative Review on the Hazards of Bee Honey Adulteration and Contamination

“…Te consumption of honey contaminated with antibiotic residues poses a concerning challenge to public health: the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria [30,56]. Regular intake of antibiotics through contaminated honey can contribute to the development of antibioticresistant strains, rendering those vital medications less effective in treating bacterial infections in humans [30,53,55,56,64]. Te widespread use of antibiotics leads to an accumulation of antibiotic residues in honey, thus leading to decreased quality and challenging marketing [53,65,66].…”

“…Te widespread use of antibiotics leads to an accumulation of antibiotic residues in honey, thus leading to decreased quality and challenging marketing [53,65,66]. Skin rashes, dermatitis, gastrointestinal symptoms, and anaphylaxis are side efects of lactam antibiotics, even in the relatively low levels that may be found in honey [64,65]. Also, individuals are more susceptible to developing cancer after exposure to nitrofurans and nitroimidazoles [67,68].…”

“…Furthermore, honey has a relatively small amount of water, which limits bacterial development and survival. Honey has not been associated with many infections; thus, the high amount of vegetative bacteria may only result from recent contamination [64].…”

“…Nevertheless, there was no distinction between contaminated honey and sterilized honey regarding pH, HMF concentration, or diastase activity. Bacillus alvei may have infuenced the growth of C. botulinum in honey because it stimulated the production of toxins by C. botulinum type F [53,64,79].…”

Recent advances and opportunities related to the use of bee products in food processing

“…Microorganisms naturally occurring in honey in small amounts do not pose a threat to human health—they are yeasts and molds, derived from pollen, bee's digestive tract, dust, air, and flowers. On the other hand, the presence of Clostridium botulinum (Yap et al, 2022), which is harmful to children, causes infant botulism (Goderska, 2022)—a disease that damages the nervous system, causes respiratory failure and paralysis, and has been detected in honey. Clostridium botulinum is capable of producing spores that are resistant to adverse environmental conditions, so they can withstand processing and storage for long periods.…”