This study aimed to isolate, identify, and evaluate the probiotic properties of Bacillus species from honey of the stingless bee Heterotrigona itama. Bacillus spp. were isolated from five different H. itama meliponicultures, and the isolates were characterized through Gram-staining and a catalase test. Tolerance to acidic conditions and bile salt (0.3%), hydrophobicity, and autoaggregation tests were performed to assess the probiotic properties of the selected isolates, B. amyloliquefaciens HTI-19 and B. subtilis HTI-23. Both Bacillus isolates exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and possessed significantly high survival rates in 0.3% bile solution for 3 h. Their survival rates in acidic conditions were also comparable to a commercial probiotic strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Interestingly, the hydrophobicity and autoaggregation percentage showed no significant difference from L. rhamnosus GG, a commercial probiotic strain. The results from this study suggest that B. amyloliquefaciens HTI-19 and B. subtilis HTI-23 isolated from stingless bee honey have considerably good probiotic properties. Therefore, more studies should be done to investigate the effects of these bacteria cultures on gastrointestinal health.

Probiotic Properties of Bacillus Strains Isolated from Stingless Bee (Heterotrigona itama) Honey Collected across Malaysia.

Foodomics is an emerging research field in food science that applies advanced omics technologies to assess relevant aspects related to food and nutrition, with the ultimate goal to improve human health and well-being. Many studies have already shown the tremendous potential of this approach to boost food science research regarding food authentication and traceability, safety issues, improved quality, bioactivity and the action of specific bioactive compounds in diverse biological systems. Honey bees provide high-quality products and a wide range of benefits to humans. Honey is certainly the most widespread edible bee product. However, nowadays other edible bee products [(royal jelly, propolis, pollen and naturally fermented pollen (bee bread)] are considered superfoods due to their high nutritional value and their beneficial effects on human health. This review aims to present current omics implementations in honey bee product research related to authentication (e.g. botanical origin, biomarker identification), adulteration detection, bioactivity (e.g. anti-microbial, antioxidant), microbiome characterization and their effects on human health. Conclusively, many studies have proven the tremendous potential of -omics technologies in bee product research. This approach will be further implemented in the future: (i) for the comprehensive assessment of bee product authentication, quality, safety and traceability; (ii) to elucidate the role of bioactive compounds in bee products, (iii) to identify novel molecular biomarkers for disease prevention; (iv) to establish the effect of bee products on gut microbiome; (v) to elucidate biological processes of agronomic interest and economic relevance to bee products.

Foodomics in bee product research: a systematic literature review

Honey bees are model organisms for microbiota research. Gut microbiomes are very interesting for surveys due to their simple structure and relationship with hive production. Long-term studies reveal the gut microbiota patterns of various hive members, as well as the functions, sources, and interactions of the majority of its bacteria. But the fungal non-pathogenic part of gut microbiota is almost unexplored, likewise some other related microbiota. Honey bees, as superorganisms, interact with their own microorganisms, the microbial communities of food stores, hive surfaces, and other environments. Understanding microbiota diversity, its transition ways, and hive niche colonization control are necessary for understanding any separate microbiota niche because of their interplay. The long coevolution of bees with the microorganisms populating these niches makes these systems co-dependent, integrated, and stable. Interaction with the environment, hive, and other bees determines caste lifestyle as well as individual microbiota. In this article, we bring together studies on the microbiota of the western honey bee. We show a possible relationship between caste determination and microbiota composition. And what is primary: caste differentiation or microbiota composition?

/pdf/micro-bee-ota-honey-bee-normal-microbiota-as-a-part-of-22mfh6mw.pdf

Micro”bee”ota: Honey Bee Normal Microbiota as a Part of Superorganism

Excessive use of antibiotics has detrimental consequences, including antibiotic resistance and gut microbiome destruction. Probiotic-rich diets help to restore good microbes, keeping the body healthy and preventing the onset of chronic diseases. Honey contains not only prebiotic oligosaccharides but, like yogurt and fermented foods, is an innovative natural source for probiotic discovery. Here, a collection of three honeybee samples was screened for yeast strains, aiming to characterize their potential in vitro probiotic properties and the ability to produce valuable metabolites. Ninety-four isolates out of one-hundred and four were able to grow at temperatures of 30 °C and 37 °C, while twelve isolates could grow at 42 °C. Fifty-eight and four isolates displayed the ability to grow under stimulated gastrointestinal condition, at pH 2.0–2.5, 0.3% (w/v) bile salt, and 37 °C. Twenty-four isolates showed high autoaggregation of 80–100% and could utilize various sugars, including galactose and xylose. The cell count of these isolates (7–9 log cfu/mL) was recorded and stable during 6 months of storage. Genomic characterization based on the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) also identified four isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae displayed good ability to produce antimicrobial acids. These results provided the basis for selecting four natural yeast isolates as starter cultures for potential probiotic application in functional foods and animal feed. Additionally, these S. cerevisiae isolates also produced high levels of acids from fermented sugarcane molasses, an abundant agricultural waste product from the sugar industry. Furthermore, one of ten identified isolates of Meyerozyma guilliermondiii displayed an excellent ability to produce a pentose sugar xylitol at a yield of 0.490 g/g of consumed xylose. Potentially, yeast isolates of honeybee samples may offer various biotechnological advantages as probiotics or metabolite producers of multiproduct-based lignocellulosic biorefinery.

Selection of Potential Yeast Probiotics and a Cell Factory for Xylitol or Acid Production from Honeybee Samples

Raw honeys contain diverse microbial communities. Previous studies have focused on isolating bacteria and fungi that are culturable, while missing a large proportion of the microbial community due to culture-based constraints. This study utilized next-generation sequencing (NGS) to analyze the composition of microorganisms in raw honey; these data can reveal environmental and physicochemical variables that are associated with different microbial communities. To examine the microbial composition (bacteria and fungi) of raw honey and analyze its association with physicochemical properties, four types of honey (monofloral, wildflower, manuka, and feral; ntotal = 36) were analyzed via amplicon metagenomics. The analyzed honey samples had relatively similar bacterial communities but more distinct and diverse fungal communities. Honey type was determined as a significant factor influencing alpha and beta diversity metrics of bacterial and fungal communities. For the bacterial communities, titratable acidity (TA) was associated with community richness and diversity. For the fungal communities, Brix, TA, and color were associated with community richness, while water activity and color were associated with community diversity. Additionally, important bacterial and fungal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) that influenced the overall community were identified. Results from this study provide important insights into the microbial communities associated with different types of raw honey, which could improve our understanding of microbial dynamics in beehives, improve honey production, and prevent honeybee disease.

Microbiome analysis of raw honey reveals important factors influencing the bacterial and fungal communities

The bacterial and fungal communities of vitex honey were surveyed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA. Vitex honey samples were analyzed at different stage of ripening; the vitex flower was also analyzed, and the effect of the chemical composition in the experimental setup was assessed. The results confirmed the presence of dominant Bacillus spp. as the dominant bacterial in honey, and yeast related genera was the main fungal in the honey, respectively. Lactococcus and Enterococcus were detected for the first time in honey. The proportion of most of the fungal community decreased during the honey ripening process. Multivariate analyses also showed that the fungal community of 5, 10 and 15 d honey samples tended to cluster together and were completely separated from the 1 d honey sample. The change in the fungal community showed a correlation with the variation in the chemical components, such as moisture and phenolic compounds. Together, these results suggest that ripening of honey could change its microbial composition, and decrease the potential risk of microbiology.

The Microbial Community Dynamics during the Vitex Honey Ripening Process in the Honeycomb

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The Microbial Community Dynamics during the Vitex Honey Ripening Process in the Honeycomb