That honey you enjoy is sweet and tasty, but do you know what’s in it? There’s plenty of sugar, of course. Also vitamins, minerals and protein in varying amounts. But some of the other genetic materials found in honey may surprise you.
Here we’ll examine the field of honey metagenomics — the study of genetic material found in honey — and see what it reveals about the honey bees that help produce it.
Honey Metagenomics Revealed
Ahh, honey: a natural food source with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and other health benefits. Honey bees have no idea about these properties, however. They just want a handy food source for the winter, when nectar is scarce. Perhaps they know, as we do, that honey has no expiration date.
There’s a universe of genetic material in this seemingly simple, sticky syrup. Experts in the honey metagenomics field act as “diet detectives” that focus exclusively on one type of eater. Here’s what their work uncovers:
What Honey Bees Eat
With nectar as one of its primary raw materials, honey is fundamentally made of plants transformed and enhanced by bees. Honey bees’ taste in flowers and other plants is broad and includes many we use to decorate our homes (sunflowers — a honey bee favorite), make tea (bergamot), enhance a dish (rosemary), stave off colds (echinacea) and more.
Honey metagenomics can help us determine what the honey bees that produced a particular batch of honey usually ate. Using DNA analysis, researchers can pinpoint specific plant types. Such tests are primarily used on wild bees, as beekeepers know what their bees eat, and when harvesting commercially, so producers can label product packaging accurately (e.g., “orange blossom honey”).
Where Honey Bees Call Home
Just as honey metagenomics can help determine the plant sources of honey, it can also identify its geographic origins. In commercial honey production, this is important, since some locations are considered to produce the finest honey for its flavor, purity or health properties.
How Healthy Honey Bees Are
By monitoring the honey output of a hive, metagenomics researchers can discover problematic microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi that may be present in the bee population. Some types of microorganisms cause diseases like Nosema, potentially compromising the health of the bees and contributing to phenomena such as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which worker bees abandon their colony and queen, often killing the entire hive.
How Healthy the Environment Is
Analysis of honey also enables researchers to assess the environmental health of a specified area. It can identify and measure the levels of environmental pollutants and other contaminants that may be present.
How Healthy Honey Is for Humans
We previously outlined some health benefits of honey, but it also poses some risks to humans, as honey metagenomics has shown. Honey is not recommended for consumption by anyone under 12 months of age, as it may contain the bacteria that causes botulism.
If honey bees consume nectar from poisonous plants and a person eats raw honey containing the toxin, they can suffer ill effects. Further, as bees ingest pollen with nectar, honey can trigger allergic reactions in some individuals.
Explore the Insect Kingdom and New Career Options With UF Online
Insects are fascinating, often frustrating creatures that nonetheless serve important functions in the natural world. Advanced knowledge of insects is not only enlightening, it can also help you excel in your current entomology career or enable you to enter the field in a variety of professional roles.
Acknowledged for having the number-one-ranked entomology and nematology program in the world by the Center for World University Rankings, the University of Florida offers online graduate programs that provide that crucial knowledge:
Online Master’s Degree in Entomology and Nematology
Choose our general master’s degree program or focus on an area of professional or personal interest by pursuing one of four graduate certificate specializations and earn two graduate credentials in the same amount of time. If honey bees are your passion, we recommend the Beekeeping specialization, featuring multiple courses devoted to our furry flying friends!
Online Entomology and Nematology Graduate Certificates
If you prefer not to pursue a master’s degree program at this time, you can complete a 15-credit graduate certificate in any of the same specializations, including our Graduate Certificate in Beekeeping.
These programs do not require GRE scores, a thesis or campus attendance!
Learn more about our programs or apply now.
Sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6209200/
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msystems.01182-23
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1099522/full
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-honey/art-20363819
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-84174-0
