Antibiotic, Pesticide, andMicrobial Contaminants of Honey: Human Health Hazards

Journal Article

Al-Waili, Noori . 2012

• المجلة \ الصحيفة: The ScientificWorld Journal
• رقم العدد: 2012
• رقم الإصدار السنوي: 2012
• الصفحات: 1-9

مستخلص المنشور

History has revealed that humans had used bee products
such as honey for thousands of years in all societies worldwide.
Honey has been mentioned in the Talmud, the old and
new testaments of the Bible, and the Holy Quran (1400 years
ago). There is a large chapter (SORA) in Holey Quran named
Bee (Al Nahl) and part of it says “ And thy LORD taught the
bee to build its cells in hills, on trees and in men’s habitations,
then to eat of all the produce of the earth and find with
skill the spacious paths of its LORD, there issues from within
their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for
men, verily in this is a sign for those who give thought.” The
Muslim prophet Mohammed even recommended the use of
honey for the treatment of diarrhea [1]. Honey has been
used to treat coughs and sore throats, infected leg ulcers,
earaches, measles, eye diseases, and gastric ulcers [2–4]. Bee
products are natural food products; they are rich in minerals,
antioxidants, and simple sugars.Honey is known to be rich in
both enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants. Honey can
also prevent deteriorative oxidation reactions in foods, such
as the browning of fruit and vegetables and lipid oxidation in
meat, as well as inhibit the growth of food borne pathogens
and microorganisms that cause food spoilage [5, 6].
Others and we have found that honey has potential
therapeutic properties in infections, wound healing, and
cancer [7–11]. Therefore, in recent years, bee products have
received renewed interest as an essential natural resource
that can be employed in new therapies free from side effects
that are often encountered with the use of synthetic chemical
medicines [12]. However, the market competition on these
products imposes extra conditions that can only be ensured
by complying with quality assurance and certification
protocols.