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Honey
Kinds of Honey Terms modified by Honey Selected AbstractsANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND PHENOLIC ACID CONSTITUENTS OF CHESTNUT (CASTANIA SATIVA MILL.) HONEY AND PROPOLISJOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2009ALI OSMAN SARIKAYA ABSTRACT This study describes the constituents of phenolic acids and antioxidant activities of chestnut (Castania sativa Mill.) honeys and propolis in Turkey. Antioxidant activity of the chestnut honeys and propolis were examined by three different methods, namely scavenging of free radical 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, FRAP, and cupric reducing antioxidant power. Total phenolic contents were determined by using Folin,Ciocalteu reagent as GA equivalent. The phenolic constituents were also determined by HPLC. The antioxidant activities were compared with standard antioxidants such as catechin, BHT and Trolox. The antioxidant activities of all the samples were found high and related to the sample concentrations. The ethanolic propolis extracts showed the highest antioxidant activity. The major phenolic acids of the chestnut honeys and propolis identified by HPLC with PDA detection were coumaric acid, FA, cinnamic acid, CA and ChA. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS In this study, some phenolic acid components and antioxidant capacity of chestnut (Castania sativa Mill.) honey and propolis were measured. The comparative findings from antioxidant activities and phenolic acid analyses of honey and propolis samples of chestnut origin provide important criteria for considering their nutritional and nutraceutical potentials. Comparison of our results with literature data also ranks the chestnut honey and propolis as better sources of antioxidants among those from other floral origins. [source] RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF CRYSTALLIZED HONEY PREPARED BY A NEW TYPE OF NUCLEIJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2009YUE-WEN CHEN ABSTRACT Good spreadability is a highly desirable quality for crystallized honey used in product applications. In this study, we processed Taiwanese liquid litchi honey into crystallized honey by adding a new nuclei material, namely 0.1% (w/w) glucose powder, instead of the traditional 5,10% (w/w) natural nuclei. Rheological properties of the resulting product were determined during heating and cooling utilizing small amplitude oscillatory shear to assess spreadability. As the product was heated, it exhibited decreased consistency and improved fluidity (evidenced by decreasing storage modulus [G,] and loss modulus [G,] values) and three distinct regions within the G,curve ("softening,""crystalline plateau" and "melting"). As the product was cooled from 55 to 0C, moduli were lower than those obtained during heating, and the product did not exhibit the three G,curve regions across the temperature range. Therefore, we observed incomplete reversible crystallization and rheological properties during temperature migration. Flow properties of crystallized honey in the 0,25C temperature range could be successfully predicted using the Herschel,Bulkley model (R2 > 0.97). However, the product approached Newtonian flow behavior as temperatures neared the upper end of this range. Higher viscosity and lower yield stress were observed at temperatures below 15C. The crystallized honey developed for this study exhibited shear-thinning properties desirable in honey products intended to be spread. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Crystallized honey is traditionally prepared by introducing 5,10% natural nuclei into liquid honey. Our lab developed a new method that replaces the natural nuclei with glucose powder, which, at 0.1% (w/w), produces a good quality creamed honey that, in commercial production, offers the potential for significant production cost advantages. As crystallized honey is used in commercial/consumer applications as a spread, its dynamic rheology is of both academic and industrial interest. In this study, we discuss the physical properties of the crystallized honey developed using glucose powder to help better identify the factors and variables involved in honey spreadability and thus facilitate the development of better honey products with more desirable spreadability profiles. This study also provides a rheological properties and spreadability database for crystallized honey that reflects the range of temperature changes that can be expected to occur during normal product storage and use. [source] COATING WITH HONEY: A STUDY WITH MODEL SOLIDSJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2002BHAVESH K. PATEL ABSTRACT Simulation studies on coating of steel balls with honey as well as the rheological measurements were carried out at different moisture contents (20.3,37.7%, dry basis), and temperatures (5,80C). The coating characteristics of honey were judged by the thickness of honey layer, and by the proposed index, dimensionless uptake. Honey possesses extremely high viscosity at low temperatures and/or at low moisture contents. The sensitivity of honey viscosity with temperature was determined by using Arrhenius equation. Enhanced values of dimensionless uptake and thickness were obtained at low temperature-low moisture combinations. Viscosity of honey for easy handling and coating is in the neighborhood of 103 mPas corresponding to a temperature of 50C. [source] APPLICATION OF WLF AND ARRHENIUS KINETICS TO RHEOLOGY OF SELECTED DARK-COLORED HONEYJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2001KAMAL I.M. AL-MALAH ABSTRACT The rheological properties of Common Black Horehound, Globe Thistle, and Squill types of dark-colored Jordanian honey were examined. The types of honey used were identified via assessing the source of nectar using pollen analysis (Melissopalynology). The apparent viscosity, ,, was measured as a function of the shear rate, ,. In addition, the apparent viscosity was measured, at constant shear rate (6.12 s,1), as a function of shearing time. Newton's law of viscosity (i.e., ,=,,) was found to adequately (R2, 0.99) describe the flow behavior of honey samples. The apparent viscosity was found to decrease with temperature, and the temperature dependence of viscosity was contrasted versus both Arrhenius model (,=,oeEa/RT) and WLF model (,/,G= 10 (C1(T,T)/C2+(T,TG))). Although Arrhenius kinetics may fit the viscosity versus temperature data for the examined types of honey, nevertheless, it gives a relatively high value of activation energy that is quite comparable with, if not even larger than, that of a typical chemical reaction. On the other hand, WLF-model was found to adequately describe the data while at the same time it gives quite reasonable values of both TG and ,G, which are in agreement with those cited in literature. [source] KINETICS OF HYDROXYMETHYLFURFURAL ACCUMULATION AND COLOR CHANGE IN HONEY DURING STORAGE IN RELATION TO MOISTURE CONTENTJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 1 2009L. BULUT ABSTRACT Quality reduction in honey during storage is indicated by hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) accumulation and darkening of color. The effects of moisture content and temperature on HMF accumulation and color change in honey during storage were investigated. HMF accumulation and color change followed first- and zero-order reaction kinetics, respectively. The moisture content affected the rate of the two degradation reactions depending on the storage temperature. Reduction in moisture content caused an increase in rate constant for HMF accumulation at 20 and 30C, but there was no significant effect of moisture content at 40C. Rate constants for change in lightness and total color change values increased with increasing moisture content at 20 and 30C. The highest rate constant for change in color values was obtained at a moisture content of 18% at 40C. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Hydroxymethylfurfural accumulation and color change are two major quality degradations in honey during storage. This study shows that the rates of these two degradations are dependent on moisture content of honey. In addition, effect of moisture content on the rates of reactions was dependent on temperature of storage. Therefore, producers need to consider the effects of both moisture content and storage temperature in reducing quality loss in honey during storage. [source] ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT FLORAL ORIGIN HONEYS FROM TURKIYEJOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 2010ESRA ULUSOY ABSTRACT The bioactivities of phenolic extracts of nine Turkish honeys from different floral sources were investigated. The antioxidant properties of the extracts were assessed by ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assay. The total phenolic contents measured by Folin,Ciocalteau method varied from 66 to 223 mg/g extract as gallic acid equivalent. The antioxidant activities found with CUPRAC, expressed as trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, ranged from 124.8 to 532 µmol/g, those determined with DPPH· expressed as IC50 ranged from 84 to 296 µg/mL, and those determined with FRAP expressed as trolox equivalent were in 33,166 µmol/g range. The antioxidant activities showed a marked correlation with total phenolics. In the antimicrobial tests using six bacteria and a yeast, Escherichia coli was moderately sensitive to each extract. There was no correlation between antimicrobial activity and total phenolic contents. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Honey has functional properties and promotes human health, and such properties depend largely on the floral source. Although studies on screening the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of raw honey samples have been done densely, studies on phenolic compounds of honey are very limited. The present study demonstrates that honey phenolic compounds are partially responsible for honey antioxidant activity, displaying the relevance of honey as both healthy foodstuff and source of antioxidant. [source] PREFERENCE MAPPING OF COLOR OF URUGUAYAN HONEYSJOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 5 2007ADRIANA GÁMBARO ABSTRACT The color of 30 honey samples, both from unifloral and multifloral origin, was characterized using Pfund scale and CIE L*a*b* tristimulus method. A panel of 140 consumers evaluated the color acceptability of the samples using a 9-point structured scale. The color of the samples was differentiated (P < 0.001) by both instrumental methods, which confirms the validity of using them to characterize the color of honey. Consumers showed highly significant different degrees of liking for the color of the evaluated honeys. Two clusters (cluster 2 and cluster 3) with different preference patterns were identified; one liked intermediate-colored honeys, and the other preferred dark reddish honeys. External preference mapping was used to model color acceptability for consumers in each cluster using the first two principal components of the principal component analysis of the instrumental color data. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The key finding of this study is the comparison of Pfund scale and CIE L*a*b* method to characterize the color of honey, and the relationship of instrumental color measurements and consumer preferences. Although the Pfund scale showed the highest discrimination between samples, it does not take into account the tone of the color of the samples and was not enough to the color of honeys. Preference mapping provided insight into the aspects that are important for consumers when deciding the acceptability of color in honey. Results showed that Uruguayan consumers seemed to dislike light-colored honeys. [source] Use of Honey as an Adjunct in the Healing of Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor SiteDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 2 2003Aykut Misirlioglu MD BACKGROUND Different techniques are being used in treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites; however, there is not a widely accepted method established for these partial-thickness wounds. It is well known that honey has been very effective in the treatment of various types of wounds, but there is not any information about the usage of honey as split-thickness skin graft donor site dressing in the literature. OBJECTIVE To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of honey-impregnated gauzes, hydrocolloid dressings, and as a conventional dressing, saline-soaked gauzes for skin graft donor sites. METHODS This is a nonrandomized, prospective, open-label (noncontrolled), side-by-side comparison trial of various options that are available for second-intention healing of donor site for split-thickness skin grafts. Eighty-eight patients who underwent skin grafting were observed using two different groups. In the first group, the donor site was divided into two equal halves, with each half being treated with honey-soaked gauzes and the other half with paraffin gauzes (group 1A), hydrocolloid dressings (group 1B), and saline-soaked gauzes (group 1C) alternatively. In the second group, two separate donor sites were formed, with one of them being treated with honey-impregnated gauzes (groups 2A,C) and the other one treated with either paraffin gauzes (group 2A), hydrocolloid dressings (group 2B), or saline-soaked gauzes (group 2C). The healing time, rate of infection, and sense of pain were evaluated. RESULTS In the treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites, honey-impregnated gauzes showed faster epithelization time and a low sense of pain than paraffin gauzes and saline-soaked gauzes. There was no significant difference between honey-impregnated gauzes and hydrocolloid dressings with regard to epithelization time and sense of pain. CONCLUSION The use of honey-impregnated gauzes is effective, safe, and practical. Honey can be an alternative material for the split-thickness skin graft donor site treatment. [source] Honey, I shrunk the telomere: UC speeds agingINFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 9 2009Yuriko Mori MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] A systematic review of honey uses and its potential value within oncology careJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 19 2008Joy Bardy Aim., To synthesise the evidence regarding honey's role in health care and to identify whether this evidence applies more specifically to cancer care. Design., Systematic review. Methods., The inclusion and exclusion criteria were agreed by two reviewers and a keyword strategy was developed. EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, MEDLINE, COCHRANE and PUBMED databases were screened to identify suitable articles. The citation list from each included study was also screened for potentially suitable papers. The key findings from each study were entered onto a data extraction sheet. Results., In total, 43 studies were included in the systematic review, which included studies in relation to wounds (n = 19), burns (n = 11), skin (n = 3), cancer (n = 5) and others (n = 5). In addition, a systematic review regarding honey use in wound care was also included. While the majority of studies noted the efficacy of honey in clinical use, five studies found honey to be equally as effective as the comparator and three found honey to be less effective than the comparator treatment. Other research did not illustrate any significant difference between standard treatment regimes vs. honey treatment. Studies were generally poor in quality because of small sample sizes, lack of randomisation and absence of blinding. Conclusions., Honey was found to be a suitable alternative for wound healing, burns and various skin conditions and to potentially have a role within cancer care. Relevance to clinical practice., In the cancer setting, honey may be used for radiation-induced mucositis, radiotherapy-induced skin reactions, hand and foot skin reactions in chemotherapy patients and for oral cavity and external surgical wounds. [source] ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT FLORAL ORIGIN HONEYS FROM TURKIYEJOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 2010ESRA ULUSOY ABSTRACT The bioactivities of phenolic extracts of nine Turkish honeys from different floral sources were investigated. The antioxidant properties of the extracts were assessed by ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assay. The total phenolic contents measured by Folin,Ciocalteau method varied from 66 to 223 mg/g extract as gallic acid equivalent. The antioxidant activities found with CUPRAC, expressed as trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, ranged from 124.8 to 532 µmol/g, those determined with DPPH· expressed as IC50 ranged from 84 to 296 µg/mL, and those determined with FRAP expressed as trolox equivalent were in 33,166 µmol/g range. The antioxidant activities showed a marked correlation with total phenolics. In the antimicrobial tests using six bacteria and a yeast, Escherichia coli was moderately sensitive to each extract. There was no correlation between antimicrobial activity and total phenolic contents. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Honey has functional properties and promotes human health, and such properties depend largely on the floral source. Although studies on screening the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of raw honey samples have been done densely, studies on phenolic compounds of honey are very limited. The present study demonstrates that honey phenolic compounds are partially responsible for honey antioxidant activity, displaying the relevance of honey as both healthy foodstuff and source of antioxidant. [source] COATING WITH HONEY: A STUDY WITH MODEL SOLIDSJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2002BHAVESH K. PATEL ABSTRACT Simulation studies on coating of steel balls with honey as well as the rheological measurements were carried out at different moisture contents (20.3,37.7%, dry basis), and temperatures (5,80C). The coating characteristics of honey were judged by the thickness of honey layer, and by the proposed index, dimensionless uptake. Honey possesses extremely high viscosity at low temperatures and/or at low moisture contents. The sensitivity of honey viscosity with temperature was determined by using Arrhenius equation. Enhanced values of dimensionless uptake and thickness were obtained at low temperature-low moisture combinations. Viscosity of honey for easy handling and coating is in the neighborhood of 103 mPas corresponding to a temperature of 50C. [source] The Long-Term Effects of Feeding Honey Compared with Sucrose and a Sugar-Free Diet on Weight Gain, Lipid Profiles, and DEXA Measurements in RatsJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008L. Chepulis ABSTRACT:, To determine whether honey and sucrose would have differential effects on weight gain during long-term feeding, 45 2-mo-old Sprague Dawley rats were fed a powdered diet that was either sugar-free or contained 7.9% sucrose or 10% honey ad libitum for 52 wk (honey is 21% water). Weight gain was assessed every 1 to 2 wk and food intake was measured every 2 mo. At the completion of the study blood samples were removed for measurement of blood sugar (HbA1c) and a fasting lipid profile. DEXA analyses were then performed to determine body composition and bone mineral densities. Overall weight gain and body fat levels were significantly higher in sucrose-fed rats and similar for those fed honey or a sugar-free diet. HbA1c levels were significantly reduced, and HDL-cholesterol significantly increased, in honey-fed compared with rats fed sucrose or a sugar free diet, but no other differences in lipid profiles were found. No differences in bone mineral density were observed between honey- and sucrose-fed rats, although it was significantly increased in honey-fed rats compared with those fed the sugar-free diet. [source] Physical Properties of Co-crystalline Sugar and HoneyJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 9 2005A.P.E. Maulny ABSTRACT: Clear and partially granulated honeys, were co-crystallized with sucrose in 3 proportions, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, respectively. The products obtained by centrifugal filtration from both honeys were found by high-performance liquid chromatography to contain between 1% and 2% of honey. The moisture content of the products increased with the amount of honey added, whereas their powder flowability decreased. Differential scanning calorimetry showed a decrease in the overall crystallinity of the solidified products with an increase in the amount of honey added. Neither crystalline fructose nor glucose was detected by powder X-ray diffraction in any of the co-crystalline products. Glucose monohydrate crystallized on storage in some co-crystalline materials prepared from granulated honey. [source] Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, 2nd edition , By Martha HoneyNATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 4 2009Michael L. Dougherty No abstract is available for this article. [source] Tubers as fallback foods and their impact on Hadza hunter-gatherersAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Frank W. Marlowe Abstract The Hadza are hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. Their diet can be conveniently categorized into five main categories: tubers, berries, meat, baobab, and honey. We showed the Hadza photos of these foods and asked them to rank them in order of preference. Honey was ranked the highest. Tubers, as expected from their low caloric value, were ranked lowest. Given that tubers are least preferred, we used kilograms of tubers arriving in camp across the year as a minimum estimate of their availability. Tubers fit the definition of fallback foods because they are the most continuously available but least preferred foods. Tubers are more often taken when berries are least available. We examined the impact of all foods by assessing variation in adult body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat (%BF) in relation to amount of foods arriving in camp. We found, controlling for region and season, women of reproductive age had a higher %BF in camps where more meat was acquired and a lower %BF where more tubers were taken. We discuss the implications of these results for the Hadza. We also discuss the importance of tubers in human evolution. Am J Phys Anthropol, 140:751,758, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] From the Linden Flower to Linden Honey , Volatile Constituents of Linden Nectar, the Extract of Bee-Stomach and Ripe HoneyCHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 12 2004Regula Naef Honey is produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera), which collect nectar from flowers, digest it in their bodies, and deposit it in honeycombs, where it develops into ripe honey. We studied the evolution of the volatile constituents from the nectar of linden blossoms (Tilia cordata) to honey via the ,intermediate' honeybee. The sampling of the contents of the honey stomach or honey sack of the bee is unique. Extracts were prepared from nectar, from the liquid of the honey stomach, and from ripe honey. The chemistry is extremely complex, and compounds spanning from monoterpenes (hydrocarbons, ethers, aldehydes, acids, and bifunctional derivatives), isoprenoids, aromatic compounds (phenylpropanoids, phenols), and products degraded from fatty acids to alkaloids, were identified. Some compounds definitely stem from the plants, whereas other interesting constituents can be attributed to animal origin. Two derivatives of decanoic acid, 9-oxodec-2-enoic acid (12) and 9-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid, identified in the honey are known to be constituents of the so-called ,Queen's pheromone'. Two metabolites of these acids were identified in the extract of the honey stomach: 8-oxononanal (10), a new natural product, and 8-oxononanol (11). There structures were confirmed by synthesis. Nectar and honey stomach contain many aldehydes, which, due to the highly oxidative atmosphere in the honeycomb, are found as corresponding acids in the honey. Two acids were newly identified as 4-isopropenylcyclohexa-1,3-diene-1-carboxylic acid (14) and 4-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)-cyclohexa-1,3-diene-1-carboxylic acid (15). [source] Electroanalytical Approach to Evaluate Antioxidant Capacity in Honeys: Proposal of an Antioxidant IndexELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 18 2006Mónica Ávila Abstract A novel electrochemical route to estimate the antioxidant capacity in honey samples is proposed just using flow injection analysis. The analytical strategy involved the selective oxidation of polyphenolic compounds using two different target potentials, +0.8 and +0.5,V, at two different pHs. An oxidation current obtained at the fixed potential was used as an analytical guide of the antioxidant activity of the target honeys. Chemometrics (correlation and principal component analysis, PCA) demonstrated the significance of the electrochemical protocol versus the traditional spectrophotometric ones in the evaluation of antioxidant capacity and revealed the role of detection potential as a screening variable. The proposed protocol is very simple and fast. However, the most relevant merit of the electrochemical procedure is its inherent versatility which allows the evaluation of the antioxidant activity under predesigned controlled oxidation conditions. In addition, since intercept was statistically zero, its corresponding antioxidant content using just a calibration factor is proposed thus simplifying the calibration-analysis process. As a result, an electrochemical antioxidant index (EAI) is proposed. [source] Rapid Analysis of Glucose, Fructose, Sucrose, and Maltose in Honeys from Different Geographic Regions using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate AnalysisJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 2 2010Jun Wang ABSTRACT:, Quantitative analysis of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose in different geographic origin honey samples in the world using the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and chemometrics such as partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression was studied. The calibration series consisted of 45 standard mixtures, which were made up of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose. There were distinct peak variations of all sugar mixtures in the spectral "fingerprint" region between 1500 and 800 cm,1. The calibration model was successfully validated using 7 synthetic blend sets of sugars. The PLS 2nd-derivative model showed the highest degree of prediction accuracy with a highest,R2 value of 0.999. Along with the canonical variate analysis, the calibration model further validated by high-performance liquid chromatography measurements for commercial honey samples demonstrates that FTIR can qualitatively and quantitatively determine the presence of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose in multiple regional honey samples. [source] Use of Honey as an Adjunct in the Healing of Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor SiteDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 2 2003Aykut Misirlioglu MD BACKGROUND Different techniques are being used in treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites; however, there is not a widely accepted method established for these partial-thickness wounds. It is well known that honey has been very effective in the treatment of various types of wounds, but there is not any information about the usage of honey as split-thickness skin graft donor site dressing in the literature. OBJECTIVE To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of honey-impregnated gauzes, hydrocolloid dressings, and as a conventional dressing, saline-soaked gauzes for skin graft donor sites. METHODS This is a nonrandomized, prospective, open-label (noncontrolled), side-by-side comparison trial of various options that are available for second-intention healing of donor site for split-thickness skin grafts. Eighty-eight patients who underwent skin grafting were observed using two different groups. In the first group, the donor site was divided into two equal halves, with each half being treated with honey-soaked gauzes and the other half with paraffin gauzes (group 1A), hydrocolloid dressings (group 1B), and saline-soaked gauzes (group 1C) alternatively. In the second group, two separate donor sites were formed, with one of them being treated with honey-impregnated gauzes (groups 2A,C) and the other one treated with either paraffin gauzes (group 2A), hydrocolloid dressings (group 2B), or saline-soaked gauzes (group 2C). The healing time, rate of infection, and sense of pain were evaluated. RESULTS In the treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites, honey-impregnated gauzes showed faster epithelization time and a low sense of pain than paraffin gauzes and saline-soaked gauzes. There was no significant difference between honey-impregnated gauzes and hydrocolloid dressings with regard to epithelization time and sense of pain. CONCLUSION The use of honey-impregnated gauzes is effective, safe, and practical. Honey can be an alternative material for the split-thickness skin graft donor site treatment. [source] Resource discovery in ant communities: do food type and quantity matter?ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 5 2010JESSICA M. C. PEARCE-DUVET 1. Omnivorous woodland ant species trade off between the ability to find and behaviourally control food resources. Dominant species can limit the ability of subordinates to harvest certain food items. However, subordinate species, by being faster discoverers, could gain access to such food items by arriving at them first. 2. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that resource-directed discovery occurs in ant communities and that good discoverers preferentially discover high value resources. We did this by measuring time to discovery and the number of discoveries of high and low levels of two resource types, crickets and honey, for species occurring in Texas and Arizona woodland ant communities. 3. Ants discovered resources roughly 10 times faster in Texas than in Arizona. They discovered crickets more rapidly than honey in both communities, but there was no difference in the discovery of different resource levels. We also found that species were not biased in their discovery of different resource types or levels. 4. These results provide indirect evidence that discovery is directed by resource stimuli but that such directedness does not impact interspecific exploitative competition. [source] Maternal size and age affect offspring sex ratio in the solitary egg parasitoid Anaphes nitensENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 1 2007Serena Santolamazza-Carbone Abstract In this study, the effects of maternal age, diet, and size on offspring sex ratio were investigated for the solitary egg parasitoid, Anaphes nitens Girault (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), both outdoors, during the winter, and inside a climatic chamber under favourable constant conditions. During the winter of 2005,2006, each of seven groups containing 40 1-day-old females was mated and randomly distributed among two treatments: (treatment 1) a droplet of undiluted honey ad libitum + one fresh egg capsule of the snout beetle Gonipterus scutellatus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) as host; (treatment 2) drops of water + one fresh egg capsule of G. scutellatus. We recorded the lifetime fecundity, the daily sex allocation, and the lifetime offspring sex ratio to study the existence of a relationship with maternal characteristics. Moreover, we assessed the effect of location (outdoors vs. indoors) and group (groups are representative of early, mid, and late winter) on sex ratio. The most important factor that biased the sex ratio was maternal body size: larger females of both treatments produced more female offspring. As females of A. nitens could gain more advantage than males from body size, larger mothers have a higher fitness return if they produce more daughters. The effect of the treatment was significant: starved females produced more females. Location and group were not significant. Fecundity and sex ratio were age dependent. Old mothers that received honey (treatment 1) had fewer offspring and a more male-biased offspring sex ratio, probably due to reproductive senescence and sperm depletion. Starved females (treatment 2) experienced reproductive decline earlier, perhaps because they invested more energy in maintenance rather than in reproduction. [source] Perspectives of multi-modal contribution of honeybee resources to our lifeENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2008Hidehiro HOSHIBA Abstract The European honeybee, Apis mellifera, has been introduced to all continents and their products like honey, propolis, royal jelly and beeswax are well known. However, its contribution is not restricted to such direct products but extends into a much wider area. For example, the economic value of seed production by pollination exceeds the above-mentioned bee products. The application of F1 hybrid is increased to as much as 70% of commercial crops and flowers in Japan and honeybees are important pollinators in the F1 seed production. Incorporation into the large-scale biodiesel fuel production system by culturing rape and sunflower seeds etc. is relied on because it is good to construct possible zero-emission systems that reduce carbon dioxide and increase the rich by-products like honey and royal jelly. Bees' higher brain function and sophisticated social system of the colony opens new perspectives as a model system. Their individual ability to recognize even abstract concepts is comparable to that of higher primates. Rats or mice have no such ability. High performance learning ability of bees associated with proboscis extension reflex can be used to detect drugs at the airport. Function of the colony, on the other hand, is an excellent model for social physiology or a self-organization system. After the whole genome of A. mellifera was read in 2006 by the world consortium, consisting of more than 90 institutions from all over the world, many molecular biologists are coming into bee world. Nobody has yet succeeded in the challenge to make transgenic honeybee, so far, because of the difficulty in controlling the reproductive system headed by the queen. However, if someone succeeded in a breakthrough we will have stingless honeybees and a disease-resistant strain in the future. [source] Winter survival and oviposition before and after overwintering of a parasitoid wasp, Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)ENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2004Takeshi TERAOKA Abstract Winter survival and oviposition before and after overwintering in Ooencyrtus nezarae, an egg parasitoid of phytophagous heteropterans, were examined in Osaka, Japan. Eggs of Riptortus clavatus parasitized by O. nezarae were kept under natural photoperiod and temperature. When honey was supplied, some female adults emerging from early September to late November overwintered. The percentage of overwintering individuals increased as the date of adult emergence advanced. Most female adults supplied with honey and hosts oviposited soon after emergence, then stopped laying eggs. Female adults emerging in mid-October and early November laid eggs and then overwintered. The induction of diapause in the field seems to vary greatly depending on host availability. Without honey, the survival time of female adults was very short, whether host eggs were supplied or not. After overwintering, most females began to lay eggs in early May if host eggs were supplied, and they produced both male and female progeny. In the study area, a legume field in Osaka, parasitization by O. nezarae was observed from early July to November. [source] Biosynthesis and transcriptional analysis of thurincin H, a tandem repeated bacteriocin genetic locus, produced by Bacillus thuringiensis SF361FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 2 2009Hyungjae Lee Abstract Thurincin H, a bacteriocin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis SF361 isolated from honey, strongly inhibited the growth of Bacillus cereus F4552. The bacteriocin was purified by 65% ammonium sulfate precipitation of the culture supernatant, followed by octyl-sepharose CL-4B and reverse-phase HPLC. The molecular mass of the bacteriocin was determined to be 3139.51 Da and the 14 amino acids of the bacteriocin at the N-terminus were identified. The complete amino acid sequence of mature thurincin H was deduced from three structural genes, thnA1, thnA2, and thnA3 found in tandem repeats on the chromosome, all of which encode for the same bacteriocin, thurincin H. The genetic determinants for thurincin H biosynthesis consist of 10 ORFs, including three thurincin H structural genes. Northern hybridization elucidated that the transcription of all three bacteriocin structural genes was regulated by a putative promoter located upstream of thnA1. [source] Extrafloral nectar from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) as a food source for parasitic waspsFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2006U. S. R. RÖSE Summary 1For many adult nectar-feeding parasitoids food and moisture are essential for survival in the field. Early in the season, when floral nectar is not yet available in cotton, extrafloral nectar (EFN) is already present on young cotton plants. 2The parasitoid Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) can use EFN cotton plants as an only food source. The longevity and reproduction of EFN-fed female wasps was comparable to wasps fed with honey and water provided on nectariless (NL) cotton plants, and was significantly higher compared with wasps kept on NL plants with no additional food source. 3Wasps that were given preflight experiences on EFN cotton plants choose EFN cotton over NL cotton plants in two choice experiments in the flight tunnel. The parasitoids are more willing to search on an EFN plant at their second and third encounter with a plant previously visited, compared with an NL cotton plant. 4Wasps can locate EFN from short distances by its odour alone, and find it almost as fast as honey, but much faster than odourless sucrose, which is only found randomly. Experience with EFN increased the retention ability of parasitoids on a flower model. [source] The application of Taguchi method to determine the optimum blend of unifloral honeys to most closely match thyme honey qualityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 10 2009Maria Dimou Summary This study was conducted to investigate the effect of four blossom honey types (orange, chestnut, heather and cotton) on a group of quality characteristics of thyme-type based mixture preparations. Mixture ratios were prepared at 0%, 50% and 100% per blossom honey-type and then were blended with thyme honey in parts 1:1. The melissopalynological, sensory and physicochemical quality characteristics for each blend were monitored. A three-level, four-factor orthogonal array according to the Taguchi method was utilised to plan the experiments maintaining the thyme component as a ,slack-variable' to contain the number of performed trials. Subsequent anova treatment revealed that only a pure orange-type blend favours the simultaneous maximisation of aroma (P < 0.05) and the minimisation of electrical conductivity (P < 0.05). Finally, there was a significant effect of chestnut-type blend content on microscopical and physicochemical characteristics (P < 0.05), nevertheless, their corresponding signal-to-noise ratios are maximised only at a concentration of zero value. [source] Physico-chemical studies on a wide composition range of low-moisture glucose,fructose mixtures: rates of crystallisationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis Summary The crystallisation rates of low-moisture (from 2% to 10% w/w) glucose,fructose mixtures were investigated at a variety of storage temperatures (from 0 to 60 °C). It was found that d -fructose considerably retards the rate of crystallisation. High storage temperatures induced a decrease in the ,threshold' moisture content, which is necessary for the initial nucleation and further development of the glucose and/or fructose crystals. This knowledge of crystallisation rates can be exploited in terms of storage of confectionery products containing d -glucose, d -fructose or both of them, and honey. [source] SPME/GC/MS and sensory flavour profile analysis for estimation of authenticity of thyme honeyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Demet Manna Summary Volatiles of six commercially obtained thyme honey samples and a pure thyme honey sample were extracted and analysed by Solid phase micro extraction (SPME)/Gas chromatography (GC)/Mass spectrometry (MS) procedure. Excess amount of volatiles such as thymol (trace) and carvacrole (0.66%) that originate from thyme plants indicated adulteration by thyme essential oil in one of the commercial samples. Sensory flavour profile analysis showed that the flavour of pure thyme honey sample consisted of: sweet, honey, lilac, bitter almond, thyme, violet, waxy, sour, ginger, caramel and rose characters. Adulterated honey was detected to be the sweetest sample involving intense thyme flavour without honey character. 3,4,5-Trimethoxybenzaldehyde which is a volatile not found in other unifloral honeys, seems to be a possible marker, but further studies with certified thyme honey samples are necessary in order to confirm the utility of this compound in estimation of authenticity. [source] Palynological, physico-chemical and colour characterization of Moroccan honeys: I. River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh) honeyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Anass Terrab Summary The melissopalynological, physico-chemical and colour characteristics of Eucalyptus honeys from Morocco were studied. It is generally accepted that a minimum content of 70% of Eucalyptus pollen is necessary to classify an Eucalyptus honey as unifloral. Twenty-eight physico-chemical and five colour parameters were measured, including the content of sugars and minerals, proline, water content, pH, acidity, hydroxymethylfurfural, diastase activity, ash, electrical conductivity, colour coordinates (L*, a*, b*), chroma (C*ab) and hue angle (hab). Pollen analysis was included, and samples contained a mean of six pollen types (range 2,12). The majority of the samples (75%) contained more than 90%Eucalyptus pollen. The presence of Quercus, Plantago and Thymelaea pollen allows the differentiation of these honeys from those with a different geographical origin. Physico-chemical analysis showed that there was a low percentage of sucrose ( = 0.01%) and trisaccharides. Mineral analysis showed a low percentage of Mg ( = 25.99 ppm) and K ( = 205 ppm), while electrical conductivity ( = 721 ,S cm,1) and diastase activity ( = 39.05 °Gothe) showed medium-high values. The colour parameters lightness (L*) and chroma (C*ab) showed relatively low values. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||