PROPERTIES AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF APIS DORSATA HONEY FROM THAILAND

Objectives: For Apis dorsata honey, the basic properties, namely the pH, and the total proline, protein and invert sugar contents, were determined. For proteins, the mass weight and partial amino acid sequence of the three major proteins were assayed and homologs screened for. A bioassay for antimicrobial activity was also performed. Methodology: Proline content and the percentage of invert sugar were evaluated, whilst the total protein content was assayed and the major protein components were analyzed by reducing SDS-PAGE. From the excised bands partial amino acid sequences deduced by MALDI-TOF MS and homologs were searched for by Mascot database. Antimicrobial activity was assayed by the agar well diffusion method. Results: The proline, invert sugar and total protein contents were 6.35 mu g/ml, 13.2% (w/w) and 0.16% (w/w), respectively, with three major protein bands of 50, 75 and 100 kDa. All tested (25-100% (v/v)) dilutions of honey could inhibit the growth of S. aureus. Conclusion: A. dorsata honey may contain an epinecidin homolog, an antimicrobial peptide, and can inhibit the growth of some bacteria. It suggests that honey could be used as an antimicrobial agent.