Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Honey Bee Products: 2nd Edition

Honey bees produce several products that humans have used for centuries for various purposes: royal jelly, venom, wax, processed honey, propolis, and pollen. The beneficial effects of honey bee products have been recognized and utilized as they have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antioxidant activities. The main focus of this Special Issue Reprint is to unravel old findings, present novel discoveries, and align these with current global needs, not only as remedies but also as agents with the potential to promote health and reduce the risk of developing many diseases. Specifically, oxidative stress underlies many "modern" diseases, and honey bee products may serve as supportive means due to their antioxidant capacity. In studies of complex mixtures of natural products, the characterization of chemicals using analytical methodologies, such as HPLC, MS, LC-MS, HPLC-MS, and NMR, should be included. In addition, antioxidant power is important for antibacterial efficacy, and thus, in the present issue, we aim to unravel a plethora of features interconnected in honey bee products. We discuss the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of these complex products, which vary in composition, and the need for standardization of their quality parameters.