Authoritative subspecies diagnosis tool for European honey bees based on ancestryinformative SNPs

Background With numerous endemic subspecies representing four of its five evolutionary lineages, Europe holds a large fraction of Apis mellifera genetic diversity. This diversity and the natural distribution range have been altered by anthropogenic factors. The conservation of this natural heritage relies on the availability of accurate tools for subspecies diagnosis. Based on pool-sequence data from 2145 worker bees representing 22 populations sampled across Europe, we employed two highly discriminative approaches (PCA and F-ST) to select the most informative SNPs for ancestry inference. Results Using a supervised machine learning (ML) approach and a set of 3896 genotyped individuals, we could show that the 4094 selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) provide an accurate prediction of ancestry inference in European honey bees. The best ML model was Linear Support Vector Classifier (Linear SVC) which correctly assigned most individuals to one of the 14 subspecies or different genetic origins with a mean accuracy of 96.2% +/- 0.8 SD. A total of 3.8% of test individuals were misclassified, most probably due to limited differentiation between the subspecies caused by close geographical proximity, or human interference of genetic integrity of reference subspecies, or a combination thereof. Conclusions The diagnostic tool presented here will contribute to a sustainable conservation and support breeding activities in order to preserve the genetic heritage of European honey bees.The SmartBees project was funded by the European Commission under its FP7 KBBE programme (2013.1.3-02, SmartBees Grant Agreement number 613960) https://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7.MP was supported by a Basque Government grant (IT1233-19). The funders provided the financial support to the research, but had no role in the design of the study, analysis, interpretations of data and in writing the manuscript

Physico-chemical properties of Rhododendron honey produced in Turkey

S u m m a r y Rhododendron honey is a monofloral honey and it is collected from the flowers of Rhododendron species widely spreading over many countries, mainly in America, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia. It is belived that Rhododendron honey treats several disorders and is used traditionally as an alternative medicine. The determination of the chemical characteristics of the Rhododendron honey is essential for public health. In this research, the physicochemical characteristics of Rhododendron, chestnut and flower honey samples collected from beekeepers in Turkey were determined and compared. Physico-chemical parameters such as moisture, acidity, sucrose, invert sugar, fructose/glucose, conductivity, diastase and hydroxymethylfurfural were analysed in each honey sample. According to the results obtained, no differences were found in physico-chemical properties of Rhododendron, honey samples, except from moisture and acidity compared with those of chestnut and flower honeys. In order to differentiate Rhododendron honeys, new methods should be developed. This honey should be reintroduced to medicine and used in pharmaceutical industry

Physico-chemical properties of Rhododendron honey produced in Turkey

S u m m a r y Rhododendron honey is a monofloral honey and it is collected from the flowers of Rhododendron species widely spreading over many countries, mainly in America, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia. It is belived that Rhododendron honey treats several disorders and is used traditionally as an alternative medicine. The determination of the chemical characteristics of the Rhododendron honey is essential for public health. In this research, the physicochemical characteristics of Rhododendron, chestnut and flower honey samples collected from beekeepers in Turkey were determined and compared. Physico-chemical parameters such as moisture, acidity, sucrose, invert sugar, fructose/glucose, conductivity, diastase and hydroxymethylfurfural were analysed in each honey sample. According to the results obtained, no differences were found in physico-chemical properties of Rhododendron, honey samples, except from moisture and acidity compared with those of chestnut and flower honeys. In order to differentiate Rhododendron honeys, new methods should be developed. This honey should be reintroduced to medicine and used in pharmaceutical industry

An evaluation of the chemical content and microbiological contamination of Anatolian bee venom

Bee venom is a natural substance produced by worker bees. The aim of this research paper is to determine the characteristics of Anatolian bee venom by evaluating its chemical content and microbiological properties. Physical, chemical and microbiological analyses were performed on 25 bee venom samples from different areas of Anatolia, Turkey. Data obtained by 3-replicate studies were evaluated with normality and one-way and two-way ANOVA / Tukey tests. Chemical analyses of the bee venoms revealed average melittin, apamin, and phospholipase A2 contents of 40.57%, 2.12% and 13.67%, respectively. The results suggest that Anatolian bee venom has a high phospholipase A2 content compared to the previous literature. The results for apamin content were similar to those reported in other countries. Melittin content was within the range of standard values. Bee venom samples were also observed to have a high sugar content, associated with pollen and nectar contamination. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria counts revealed no microbial development in 11 samples of bee venom. Staphylococcus aureus was not detected in any sample. A low microbial load was associated with a high phospholipase A2 content in the bee venom composition, thus contributing to its antimicrobial character. This study presents an examination of Anatolian bee venom in terms of chemical content and microbial quality. The examination of other components in addition to phospholipase A2, melittin and apamin in future studies, together with an analysis of antimicrobial properties will further our understanding of Anatolian bee venom.WOS:0006781249000952-s2.0-85111029856PubMed: 3429306

Investigation of Propolis as a Green Inhibitor of SAE 1010 Carbon Steel Corrosion in 3.5% NaCl Environment

The anticorrosion performance of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) on SAE 1010 carbon steel specimens dipped in 3.5% NaCl was evaluated by advanced electrochemical and surface morphological assessments. The adsorption of EEP on the surface of the specimens investigated was delineated by an optical profilometer (OP), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after immersion in aqueous solution of 3.5% NaCl. The electrochemical feedback assisted by PDP, EIS, and DEIS of the inhibited electrodes was compared with that of the uninhibited electrodes, and EEP's role in the formation of a protective barrier was identified. All the qualitative and quantitative data thus obtained establish EEP as a potential inhibitor for the SAE 1010 carbon steel corrosion in NaCl solution.Duzce University Research FundDuzce University [2018.06.05.817, 19IN001804]For this work, the authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Duzce University Research Fund [project no: 2018.06.05.817]. One of the authors thankfully acknowledges financial support provided by Turkiye Burslari (19IN001804) for this research.WOS:0005352515000422-s2.0-8509867024

Investigation of genotoxic effects of rhododendron honey using three mammalian bioassays in vivo

Rhododendron honey (RH) is obtained from the rhododendron plants are grown in many regions around the world, causes poisoning in humans due to the grayanotoxin (GTX) compound in its structure. It is used by the public as a therapeutic for some diseases. It was aimed to study the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of RH in mouse bone-marrow and sperm cells by using three mammalian bioassays. 25, 50 and 75 mg kg(-1) concentrations of RH given to male mice via gavage for 24 and 48 h treatment periods and its active ingredient Grayanatoxin (GTX-III) 0.01 mg kg(-1) by i.p. injection. Chromosome aberrations (CA), polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE)/normochromatic erythrocytes (NCE), micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCE) and sperm abnormalities were investigated. The results demonstrated that all the tested concentrations of RH significantly induced total abnormal cell frequency including chromosomal breaks for two time periods. In the MN assay, 75 mg kg(-1) RH and 0.01 mg kg(-1) GTX-III significantly increased % MNPCE and significantly reduced PCE/NCE ratios after 24 and 48 h treatments on mice demonstrating potential genotoxic and cytotoxic effect. Although there was a concentration-related increase in the percentage of total sperm abnormalities, this increase was not statistically significant compared to control. As a result, microscopic genotoxicity and cytotoxicity marker tests showed that RH and its active ingredient GTX-III have potential genotoxic and cytotoxic effect on mice bone marrow cells. It is understood that RH that is used to treat some diseases by public, should be handled carefully and used in a controlled manner.Duzce University Scientific Research FundDuzce University [2013.01.01.199]This study was supported by Duzce University Scientific Research Fund [Project Number= 2013.01.01.199].WOS:0006589283000012-s2.0-85107611857PubMed: 3410032