Characterisation of Malaysian honeys and electrochemical detection of gallotannin for pure honey identification

Seventeen samples (n = 17) of Malaysian gelam, acacia, nanas, tualang and kelulut honeys were analysed for their physicochemical, biochemical and phytochemical properties to evaluate their influence on floral source and bee type. Comparisons were also made with synthetic honeys to determine a suitable measure for fast identification of pure honey from synthetic honey. Solid phase extraction (SPE) was utilised for isolation of phenolic compounds in honey samples. The phenolic compounds present in the samples were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Three electrode systems were utilised for rapid identification of pure Malaysian honeys. Properties of honey were shown to be influenced by the floral source and bee type to the lesser extent. Kelulut honeys were observed of having lower pH, higher free acid, moisture and ash contents as well as higher electrical conductivity (EC), the properties that distinguish Trigona honey from the common Apis honey. Antioxidant properties were different for the five types of honey with Trigona honey dominating most of the antioxidant tests. Up to 16 phenolic compounds were identified using HPLC-DAD system. Similar dominant compounds were observed between tualang and acacia honeys, and between kelulut and gelam honeys, suggesting that the floral source of unifloral honey is an equally important food source for the analysed multifloral honey. More phenolic compounds were detected spectrometrically using full scan method and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Plant gallotannin, penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose (PGG) was successfully detected at low potential 0.173 V vs Ag/AgCl in pH 7 phosphate buffer solution using glassy carbon electrode (GCE) without any prior electrode activation, chemical modification and pre-concentration at the GCE. The PGG detection in blank pure honey and via standard addition approach in the Malaysian honeys revealed its presence only in the pure honeys. The present study suggested that electrochemical detection of PGG using GCE could be used as a tool for pure honey identification through a rapid and simple method rather than other conventional, highly-technical, expensive and time-consuming analytical techniques

Citric acid: a green cross-linker of biomaterials for biomedical application

The application of biomaterials in biomedicine currently suffers some drawbacks, such as inflammation and immunological responses due to mismatching and/or limited compatibility. Biomaterials that are cross-linked with citric acid (CA), also called citrate-based biomaterials (CBBs), have exhibited advanced in-vitro and in-vivo material properties that make them suitable for various biomedical applications. Tunable mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and biofunctionality are among other factors that make CBBs interesting in this field. To emphasize the safety and greenness nature of CA, in this review, we have highlighted the history, potential considerations of exploration, and a summarized stage-wise criterion for developing CBBs. We also discuss several points of view about the application of CA and CBBs in many different aspects of biomedicine, such as in tissue engineering, cancer therapy, and wound dressings

Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of naringenin- and gallic acid-loaded polymeric micelles for cancer drug delivery

Introduction: Cancer nano-drug drug delivery system is important as it can improve drug bioavailability and reduce dosing frequency. Polymeric micelles (PMs) can reach targeted site and most likely will be useful in reducing side effects of treatment. This study aimed to synthesize naringenin- and gallic acid-loaded polymeric micelles for cancer drug delivery and to determine their physicochemical properties including particle size, polydispersity index (PDI) and structural composition. Methods: Two types of PMs (naringenin [NAR] and gallic acid [GA]) were prepared in different proportions of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and D-a-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) via solvent casting method. These PMs were visually observed and further analyzed by dynamic light scaterring (DLS) and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. Results: From this study, NAR-PEG-TPGS PMs showed particle size less than 30 nm whereas GA-PEG-TPGS PMs exhibited larger particle size between 171-205 nm. NAR2 PM that contain higher amount of TPGS were observed to have smaller particle size whereas GA2 PM with higher TPGS content exhibited larger particle size. PDI values for these drug-loaded PMs were between 0.32-0.74. FTIR results confirmed the presence of O-H and C=O stretching vibrations in all PM samples. Conclusion: NAR-PEG-TPGS PMs had shown more relevant physicochemical properties than GA-PEG-TPGS PMs for cancer nano-drug delivery

Isolation and identification of potential antineoplastic bioactive phenolic compounds in Malaysian honeys

The role of honeys as chemopreventive agents was inferred from their phenolic composition. The present study aims to isolate and identify such phenolic compounds with anticarcinogenic potential from the sugar matrix of Malaysian honeys. Phenolic compounds in Malaysian Acacia, Gelam and Tualang honey samples were isolated using octadecyl (C18) silica solid phase extraction (SPE) technique and identification was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detector (DAD). Identification of phenolic compounds was achieved by comparing chromatographic retention times of honey samples with those of authentic standard compounds. HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of anticancer phenolic compounds in all honey samples with considerable variation observed among both different and the same types of honey. Six flavonoids (quercetin, naringenin, kaempferol, rutin, hesperetin, and apigenin), two phenolic acids (p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid) and two tannins (ellagic acid, and penta-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucose [PGG]) were the bioactive anticancer compounds identified. The presence of PGG in Malaysian honey was described for the first time. This study concludes that these three types of Malaysian honey possessed anticancer properties at varying degrees. Their potential usage as natural anticancer therapeutic agents with numerous health benefits could be further explored and considered as an alternative for current anticancer drug

Evaluation of radical scavenging capacity of polyphenols found in natural malaysian honeys by voltammetric techniques

As minor constituents present in natural honey, polyphenols have the capacity as antioxidant by donating electron to halt detrimental actions of free radicals. The present work aims to analyze the electrochemical behaviour of polyphenols identified in Malaysian Apis and Trigona honey samples, determine and compare their reducing strengths as well as qualitatively evaluate the radical scavenging capacity of these phenolics in Malaysian honey samples. Six flavonoids, eight phenolic acids, and tannin pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) dissolved in 0.1 M PBS pH 7 were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Seventeen Malaysian honey samples were analyzed using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Cyclic voltammograms revealed that polyphenols with catechol moiety in their structure exhibited Ep1a at low potentials, ranging between +0.173 V and +0.404 V. PGG and quercetin may have equal tendency to donate electron (same Ep1a) but higher peak current was observed for the former indicates its higher reducing strength, suggesting PGG as the strongest antioxidant among studied polyphenols. From DP voltammograms, oxidation of honey phenolics occurred in all honey samples with predominant catechol-bearing peak P1 observed in nanas N1, kelulut K3 and tualang T1 honeys. The varied peak current intensities observed for P1-P3 in all analyzed Malaysian honey samples suggested that these honey samples can act against free radicals at varying degree and thus are good sources of natural antioxidants

Physicochemical Properties of a New Green Honey from Banggi Island, Sabah

Green honey is exclusively available on the island of Banggi in Sabah, and its uniqueness sees the commodity being sold at a high market price. Therefore, green honey is prone to adulteration by unscrupulous individuals, possibly compromising the health of those consuming this food commodity for its curative properties. Moreover, an established standard for reducing sugar in green honey is unavailable. Ipso facto, the study aimed to profile green honey’s physical and chemical properties, such as its pH, moisture content, free acidity, ash content, electroconductivity, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, DPPH, colour, total sugar content, total protein content, and heavy metals as well as volatile organic compounds, the data of which are profoundly valuable in safeguarding consumers’ safety while providing information for its quality certification for local consumption and export. The results revealed that the honey’s physicochemical profile is comparable to other reported kinds of honey. The honey’s naturally green colour is because of the chlorophyll from the nectar from various flowers on the island. The raw honey showed free acidity between 28 and 33 Meq/100 g, lower than the standard’s 50 Meq/100 g. The hydroxymethylfurfural content is the lowest compared to other reported honey samples, with the total phenolic content between 16 and 19 mg GAE/100 g. The honey’s reducing sugar content is lower (~37.9%) than processed ones (56.3%) because of water removal. The protein content ranged from 1 to 2 gm/kg, 4- to 6-fold and 2-fold higher than local and manuka honey, respectively. The exceptionally high content of trans-4-hydroxyproline in raw honey is its source of collagen and other healing agents. Interestingly, low levels of arsenic, lead, nickel, cadmium, copper, and cobalt were detected in the honey samples, presumably due to their subterranean hives. Nevertheless, the honey is fit for general consumption as the concentrations were below the maxima in the Codex Alimentarius Commission of 2001

Investigation of multiparameter trends and anthropometric measurements for cardiorespiratory fitness assessment among UTM staff

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is known to reduce metabolic-related diseases like cardiovascular diseases (CVD), obesity, hypertension, and type II diabetes. On the other hand, the gold standard to measure CRF is by measuring maximal oxygen consumption, VO2 max over the years. This study is performed to identify parameters that influence CRF without solely relying on invasive features such as VO2 max. A number of 31 UTM staff aged between 30 and 40 years old have participated in this study with 17 female subjects and 14 male subjects. Anthropometric measurements are obtained by direct measurement and body composition analysis using a body composition monitor. Multiparameter trend measurements were obtained from vital sign monitors at rest. Single feature analysis was performed in terms of accuracy, specificity and sensitivity to identify which feature influences CRF the most. The features collected are body mass index (BMI), body fat (BF), muscle mass (MM), bone density (BD), waist circumference (WC), resting heart rate (RHR), resting systolic blood pressure (RSBP), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and recovery trend heart rate (RecHR). Next, all these features were validated using Naïve Bayes (NB) and Decision Tree (DT) classifiers. Finally, six features which are BF, BM, BD, RHR, RSBP and FEV1, with accuracy more than 70% were selected and identified as the features which influence CRF of UTM staff

The first ITS2 sequence data set of eDNA from honey of Malaysian giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) and stingless bees (Heterotrigona itama) reveals plant species diversity

Abstract Objectives Pollen is a useful tool for identifying the provenance and complex ecosystems surrounding honey production in Malaysian forests. As native key pollinators in Malaysia, Apis dorsata and Heterotrigona itama forage on various plant/pollen species to collect honey. This study aims to generate a dataset that uncovers the presence of these plant/pollen species and their relative abundance in the honey of A. dorsata and H. itama. The information gathered from this study can be used to determine the geographical and botanical origin and authenticity of the honey produced by these two species. Results Sequence data were obtained for both A. dorsata and H. itama. The raw sequence data for A. dorsata was 5 Mb, which was assembled into 5 contigs with a size of 6,098,728 bp, an N50 of 15,534, and a GC average of 57.42. Similarly, the raw sequence data for H. itama was 6.3 Mb, which was assembled into 11 contigs with a size of 7,642,048 bp, an N50 of 17,180, and a GC average of 55.38. In the honey sample of A. dorsata, we identified five different plant/pollen species, with only one of the five species exhibiting a relative abundance of less than 1%. For H. itama, we identified seven different plant/pollen species, with only three of the species exhibiting a relative abundance of less than 1%. All of the identified plant species were native to Peninsular Malaysia, especially the East Coast area of Terengganu. Data description Our data offers valuable insights into honey’s geographical and botanical origin and authenticity. Metagenomic studies could help identify the plant species that honeybees forage and provide preliminary data for researchers studying the biological development of A. dorsata and H. itama. The identification of various flowers from the eDNA of honey that are known for their medicinal properties could aid in regional honey with accurate product origin labeling, which is crucial for guaranteeing product authenticity to consumers

The first ITS2 sequence data set of eDNA from honey of Malaysian giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) and stingless bees (Heterotrigona itama) reveals plant species diversity

Objectives Pollen is a useful tool for identifying the provenance and complex ecosystems surrounding honey production in Malaysian forests. As native key pollinators in Malaysia, Apis dorsata and Heterotrigona itama forage on various plant/pollen species to collect honey. This study aims to generate a dataset that uncovers the presence of these plant/pollen species and their relative abundance in the honey of A. dorsata and H. itama. The information gathered from this study can be used to determine the geographical and botanical origin and authenticity of the honey produced by these two species. Results Sequence data were obtained for both A. dorsata and H. itama. The raw sequence data for A. dorsata was 5 Mb, which was assembled into 5 contigs with a size of 6,098,728 bp, an N50 of 15,534, and a GC average of 57.42. Similarly, the raw sequence data for H. itama was 6.3 Mb, which was assembled into 11 contigs with a size of 7,642,048 bp, an N50 of 17,180, and a GC average of 55.38. In the honey sample of A. dorsata, we identified five different plant/pollen species, with only one of the five species exhibiting a relative abundance of less than 1%. For H. itama, we identified seven different plant/pollen species, with only three of the species exhibiting a relative abundance of less than 1%. All of the identified plant species were native to Peninsular Malaysia, especially the East Coast area of Terengganu. Data description Our data offers valuable insights into honey’s geographical and botanical origin and authenticity. Metagenomic studies could help identify the plant species that honeybees forage and provide preliminary data for researchers studying the biological development of A. dorsata and H. itama. The identification of various flowers from the eDNA of honey that are known for their medicinal properties could aid in regional honey with accurate product origin labeling, which is crucial for guaranteeing product authenticity to consumers