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    Exploring the Chemical Properties and Biological Activity of Four New Zealand Monofloral Honeys to Support the Māori Vision and Aspirations
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-05) Zucchetta C; Tangohau W; McCallion A; Hardy DJ; Clavijo McCormick A
    Honey production and export are significant contributors to the Aotearoa New Zealand economy, generating over 400 million dollars in revenue. Its main export is mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey, which has a high commercial value due to its medicinal properties that are linked to its unique chemical composition. The compound methylglyoxal (MGO) has been identified as the main floral marker and is used as a quality indicator, often labelled as unique mānuka factor (UMF). However, the high demand for mānuka honey creates pressure on beekeepers and may have negative ecological consequences by favouring extensive mānuka monocultures to the detriment of other native species. There are other honeys native to New Zealand, such as kāmahi (Weinmannia racemosa), kānuka (Kunzea ericoides), rātā (Metrosideros robusta) and rewarewa (Knightia excelsa), that also have medicinal properties; however, they are less well known in the local and global market. Indigenous Māori communities envision the production and commercialization (locally and internationally) of these honeys as an opportunity to generate income and secure a sustainable future in alignment with their worldview (Te Ao Māori) and values (tikanga Māori). Diversifying the market could lead to a more sustainable income for beekeepers and reduce pressure on Māori and the conservation land, while supporting indigenous communities to realize their vision and aspirations. This manuscript provides an extensive review of the scientific literature, technical literature and traditional knowledge databases describing the plants of interest and their traditional medicinal uses (rongoā) and the chemical properties of each honey, potential floral markers and their biological activity. For each honey type, we also identify knowledge gaps and potential research avenues. This information will assist Māori beekeepers, researchers, consumers and other stakeholders in making informed decisions regarding future research and the production, marketing and consumption of these native monofloral honeys.
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    Characterising honeys in situ by spectral methods : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Food Technology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand. EMBARGOED to 20 September 2024.
    (Massey University, 2023) Truong, Hien Thi Dieu
    New Zealand mānuka honey is derived mainly from Leptospermum scoparium nectar and is valuable through accumulation of antibacterial methyl glyoxal (MGO). Mānuka honey also has a strong polyphenolic profile. Some phenolics act as chemical markers aiding verification of botanical origin as Leptospermum scoparium. A total of eight key chemical markers (DHA, MGO, 3-PLA, 4-HPLA, 2’-MAP, 2-MBA, Leptosperin and LepteridineTM) are found at higher levels in mono-mānuka honey than in multi-mānuka honey, with little or none in other floral honeys. These key markers signify mānuka honey quality and purity (i.e., monoflorality of L. scoparium). The quality and purity of mānuka honeys depend on multiple factors, largely determined by botanical source, which define the value of the final honey product. Available nectar is, in turn, influenced by geographic district and season. Wild harvest honey is naturally a mixture from different nectars. Honey quality varies among apiaries, between beehives and even in a honey frame. Current industry practice lumps all frames of the same apiary together for extraction. Potentially, “good” quality frames of mānuka honey could be mixed with “bad” quality frames. This bulked process can limit the monetary value of mānuka honey. Quality assessment of honey while still in the frame before bulk extraction is of great of interest to the honey industry to preserve the value of mānuka honey at source and to ensure authenticity. The current study used rapid and non-destructive methods such as NIR and fluorescence combined with chemometrics, machine learning and deep learning to evaluate mānuka honey in the frame. The study focuses on assessment of mānuka honey quality in two ways: 1) direct measurement of levels of eight key chemical makers; 2) indirect measurement of potency (based on UMFTM score) and purity (verification of botanical origin as L. scoparium) that are built from key chemical markers. Honey samples (n ~ 1656) representing 200 L drums, each extracted from multiple frames, spanning eight geographic districts across New Zealand, were scanned with NIR non-imaging (350 - 2500 nm) and imaging (547 – 1701 nm) sensors. A sub-dataset of 100 honey samples was scanned in excitation-emission matrix mode (250 - 400/300 - 600 nm) under in-line geometry by a fluorescence sensor. Once techniques were verified, freshly uncapped seven honey frames were scanned and modelled to evaluate the current optical methods used. Overall, the research showed the capability of NIR methods for measurement of honey potency and purity in the frame, achieving 70 - 80 % accuracy. However, NIR methods showed limited ability to measure levels of individual key chemical markers, giving 60 - 70 % accuracy, due to the complexity of the honey matrix. This study has calculated the economic benefit of using NIR methods for sorting honey frames into different quality buckets (UMFTM buckets and MPI honey buckets) before lumped extraction. The greatest revenue increase is found for apiaries with large variation between frames and in seasons with high curvature in the price-quality curve. Later, this study employed fluorescence-based methods that further improved prediction of almost all key chemical markers, in particular two polyphenolic fluorescence markers, Leptosperin and LepteridineTM, to above 80 % accuracy. Moreover, the fusion of NIR and fluorescence data further enhanced predictability of chemical markers, potency and purity of mānuka honey to 90 - 100 % accuracy. In conclusion, this study confirms the fusion of NIR and fluorescence methods has great potential for at-line/on-line assessment of New Zealand mānuka honey while still in the frame. This research provides basic scientific guidance for future application of NIR and fluorescence methods for quality assessment of honey in general and has implications for other wild harvest foods.
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    Antimicrobial effect of Manuka honey and Kanuka honey alone and in combination with the bioactives against the growth of Propionibacterium acnes ATCC 6919 : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Food Technology, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Wu, Qiong; Wu, Qiong
    Background: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous follicle. The Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) play a key role in inflammation and the formation of comedones. P. acnes has been reported to develop antibiotic resistance, which has generated some interest in developing natural antimicrobial compounds which forms the subject matter of this study. Recently, Manuka honey (leptospermum scoparium) has demonstrated strong antibacterial activities against a wide range of pathogens with distinct non-peroxide activity. Kanuka honey has also shown to be effective against many bacterial species. Many natural bioactives were reported to possess strong antibacterial activities, a few of which were studied against P. acnes. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the antibacterial activity of Manuka honeys and Kanuka honey with and without catalase against the growth of P. acnes alone and to screen the antibacterial activities of five selected nature bioactives alone and in combination with honey against P. acnes in vitro. Methods: The growth of P. acnes was evaluated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. P. acnes was cultivated in nutrient broth and fastidious anaerobic agar containing horse blood. Manuka honeys 20+, 15+ and 10+ UMF and Kanuka honeys were tested against the growth of P. acnes, ranging from 0.5 % to 12.5 % (w/v) with and without catalase under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The artificial honey was used as the control. Manuka tree essential oil (MTO), lavender essential oil (LO), green tea extract (GTE), olive leaves extract (OLE), propolis were screened using disc diffusion method, spectrophotometric assay, viable cell counts to determine the survival of P. acnes in the bioactives testing solutions. The combination creams of Manuka honey 10+ UMF (10 %, w/v) with bioactives were studied using viable cell count method to determine the viable cells of P. acnes. Results: P. acnes is capable of growing under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Manuka and Kanuka honeys exhibited antibacterial activity against the growth of P. acnes. Kanuka honey had similar antibacterial activity as Manuka honey 15+ UMF and Manuka honey 20+ UMF without catalase. MIC100 of Manuka honey 20+ UMF was 148.90 mg/mL; MIC100 of Manuka honey 15+ UMF was 125.81 mg/mL; MIC100 of Manuka honey 10+ UMF was 144.43 mg/mL; MIC100 of Kanuka honey was 123.28 mg/mL. Manuka honeys possessed non-peroxide activity, but the antibacterial activity of Kanuka honey decreased significantly after the removal of hydrogen peroxide with MIC100 of 549.21 mg/mL. Artificial honey did not markedly inhibit the growth of P. acnes. Among the five bioactives, only GTE and MTO had bactericidal ability. Honey creams with bioactives showed that cream containing 10 % honey and 1 % GTE caused about five log reductions in the bacterial cell numbers; in contrast, cream of honey (10 %) and MTO (0.125 %) resulted in about two log reductions. No bacterial cells (< 100 CFU/mL) were found in the creams containing honey (10 %), MTO (0.125 %) and GTE (1 %). Conclusion: Manuka honey exhibited antibacterial activity against the growth of the P. acnes. The antibacterial potency of the honey was significantly enhanced by the presence of bioactives in the emulsion cream.