Open AccessThe antimicrobial activity of polyfloral honey and its awareness among urban consumers in Slovakia
Author(s) -
Peter Šedík,
Kristína Predanocyová,
Elena Horská,
Miroslava Kačániová
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
potravinárstvo
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.259
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1338-0230
pISSN - 1337-0960
DOI - 10.5219/1621
Subject(s) - enterococcus faecalis , antimicrobial , food science , manuka honey , ingredient , toxicology , traditional medicine , biology , medicine , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , staphylococcus aureus
The current interdisciplinary research studies the antimicrobial activity of selected polyfloral kinds of honey (n = 30) against three microorganisms (gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis, gram-negative bacteria Salmonella enterica, and one yeast Candida krusei) as well as investigates consumer behavior and awareness towards honey healing properties. Consumer research involved 617 honey consumers living in urban areas. T-test for Equality of means, non-parametric tests, and descriptive statistics were applied. Results showed that antimicrobial activity was found in all honey samples with a concentration of 50%. Nevertheless, better activity was obtained in honey samples from urban beekeepers compared to samples from retail stores. Results of consumer research showed that honey is mostly used as food (sweetener in beverages, ingredient in the recipe, or direct consumption) and as medicine mainly during the winter period. The consumer awareness towards honey healing effects was very high (97%), however, 1/3 of respondents were not able to list any specific examples, and only 11 % mentioned antibacterial activity. Furthermore, more than 70% of respondents did not know to explain the term “medical honey” and more than 50% of respondents are not aware of the maximum temperature used for heating honey without decreasing its biologically active compounds.