Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2016 Jan 1;8:351-7.

Potential biological activity of acacia honey.

Muhammad A1, Odunola OA2, Ibrahim MA3, Sallau AB3, Erukainure OL4, Aimola IA3, Malami I5.

• 1Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, amachida31@gmail.com.
• 2Cancer Research and Molecular Biology Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
• 3Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
• 4Department of Food Technology, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Nigeri.
• 5Department of Pharmacognosy and Ethnopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

Abstract

Recent advances in functional foods-based research have increasingly become an area of major interest because it affects human health and activities. Functional foods are classes of foods with health promoting and disease preventing properties in addition to multiple nutritional values and of such type is honey.

Acacia honey is a type of honey produced by bees (Apis mellifera) fed on Acacia flowers, hence the name.

This review focuses on the potential biological activities of Acacia honey which includes quality, antioxidant, immuno-modulatory, antiproliferative and neurological properties at in vitro and in vivo levels.

Based on our review, Acacia honey used from various researches is of high purity, contains some bioactive compounds ranging from vitamins, phenolics, flavonoids and fatty acids.

It's highly nutritional with strong antioxidant and immuno-modulatory potentials which may therefore be considered a potential candidate for both cancer prevention and treatment. Neurologically, it may be considered as a viable therapeutic agent in the management of Alzheimer's disease.

PMID:  26709666