Honey: food and a therapeutic agent

Chemia Naissensis Volume 6, No.1 (2023) (стр. 100-113) 

АУТОР(И) / AUTHOR(S): Danijela Kostić, Aneta Georgijev and Biljana Arsić

E-mail: : danijela.kostic@pmf.edu.rs

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DOI: 10.46793/ChemN6.2.100K

САЖЕТАК / ABSTRACT:

Honeybees produce honey. Humans have used honey for more than 9,000 years as food and medicine. Honey has a complex chemical composition (sugars, organic acids, amino acids, peptides, enzymes, micro and macroelements, water-soluble vitamins and natural phenolic compounds), varying depending on the botanical source. Besides its significant role in traditional medicine, honey also has a place in modern medicine. Research has shown that honey has an inhibitory effect on about 60 types of bacteria, some types of fungi and viruses. The antioxidant capacity of honey is significant for many diseases and is primarily due to many natural phenolic compounds in honey. Therefore, honey is also used to treat inflammatory, dermal, diabetic, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neoplastic conditions. This article briefly overviews the composition, physico-chemical properties and application of natural honey as a nutraceutical agent.

КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ / KEYWORDS:

honey, composition, organoleptic characteristic, food, therapeutic agent

ПРОЈЕКАТ/ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Authors want to thank CA22105 – BeSafeBeeHoney

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