KNOWLEDGE IS WEALTH: WHY WE SHOULD BE EXPLORING THE UNIQUE PROPERTIES OF HONEY IN AFRICA Nanike Esterhuizen, Mike Allsopp & Theresa Wossler Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Email: nanike@sun.ac.za
WHAT IS HONEY? Complex natural product No two honeys are the same Different regions & seasons Monofloral vs. Multifloral
WHAT IS HONEY? Sugars (95% of solids) Minerals Proteins Enzymes Phytochemical compounds
WHAT IS HONEY? Colour Taste Odour Medicinal properties Influences market value
THE HONEY MARKET Global production in 2016* 2.29 million tonnes annually Top 4: China, Turkey, Iran, USA African countries 0.2 million tonnes annually Top 4: Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Angola South Africa: 1089 tonnes (0.5%) High value products Raw & organic honey Origin based marketing Medicinal value e.g. Manuka 0.5 million tonnes * FAOSTAT United Nations 2016
MEDICINAL VALUE Antibacterial properties of honey Wounds, burns, skin conditions Antibiotic resistant bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus dermasciences.com Total activity (TA) Peroxide activity (PA) + Non-peroxide activity (NPA) + Hydrogen peroxide Enzymes Phytochemical compounds High sugar content & high acidity
MANUKA HONEY High non-peroxide activity Compound: Methylglyoxal Increases over time Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) Phenol equivalence value 20% phenol solution nzplantpics.com
MANUKA HONEY High non-peroxide activity Compound: Methylglyoxal Increases over time Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) Phenol equivalence value Leptospermum scoparium nzplantpics.com
HONEY IN SOUTH AFRICA High biodiversity Many endemic plant species Honey with unique characteristics? Western Cape : Cape Floristic Region South Africa Cape Town
Fynbos Biome
HONEY IN SOUTH AFRICA Botanical origin One study (Johannsmeier 2001) Physicochemical properties No published data Antimicrobial activity Four studies * Multiple component studies No published research Need data to market honey * Theunissen et al. 2001, Basson and Grobler 2008, Manyi-Loh et al. 2010, Khan et al. 2014
PROJECT GOAL Investigate South African honeys Unique properties Appeal to high-end consumers Higher prices on local and international market Economically boost beekeeping industry
STUDY AREA South Africa South Africa Cape Town Cape Town
SANDVELD SITES
FIELD WORK Week 1: Plants Week 2: Honey Four months From 2015-2017
West Coast Honeys
PHYSICOCHEMICAL
PHYSICOCHEMICAL International Standards (Codex Alimentarius 2001) 1. Moisture content 2. Electrical conductivity 3. Diastase 4. Free acid and ph 5. Sugar spectrum 6. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)
MEDICINAL VALUE Phenol equivalence assay 1. 90 honey samples 2. + and - controls 3. Phenol % range Take away hydrogen peroxide Staphylococcus aureus Allen et al. 1991, Irish et al. 2011
MEDICINAL VALUE 37 C for 18h
MEDICINAL VALUE
Number of honey samples MEDICINAL VALUE 35 30 34% No NPA 25 20 15 23% 18% 18% 10 5 0 2% 2% 2% <6 <9 <12 <15 <18 <21 <24 Total antibacterial activity (% phenol equivalence)
Which plants did the bees use?
BOTANICAL ORIGIN 1. Botanical contents (list) Pollen trapped in honey DNA barcoding Genetic information 2. Botanical composition (%) Pollen trapped in honey Melissopalynology Form, size, structure Classify: monofloral or multifloral Need a pollen database!
SUMMARY West coast honeys adhere to international regulations for physicochemical properties These honeys have good antibacterial activity Some as good as Manuka UMF 18+ Main source of activity = hydrogen peroxide The specific botanical composition of honey samples is currently being investigated
CONCLUSION Honey properties floral origin Most important: A pollen database of African plants is needed to determine botanical compositions of honey These methods are easy & not expensive So what is stopping us from finding the African Manuka? Take-home message: Research is necessary to find & promote unique African honeys locally and internationally
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS National Research Foundation Hurters Honey Stellenbosch University Mike Allsopp Prof Theresa Wossler Dr Natasha Palesa Mothapo Dr Elanna Bester Richelle Brink Wossler Lab