How Scots honey could be vital link to fight bug
IT is regarded as a wonder food, relished the world over for its anti-bacterial properties. But now Manuka honey produced in New Zealand has a Scottish rival.
Scientists say a ‘miracle’ ingredient in Scottish honey could be just as effective at fighting bugs.
Dr Lorna Fyfe, a microbiologist from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, led a team who tested six honeys for their ability to fight penicillin-resistant bacteria.
Yesterday she said the discovery could lead to the creation of new treatments to combat infection.
But there are fears sources could be in short supply after vandals wrecked a beehive in Portobello, Edinburgh, one of only two beehives producing the honey north of the Border.
The location of the sole remaining source, at a family-run apiary in Torridon, Wester Ross, has not been disclosed to protect the honey.
Manuka is the world’s leading medically approved honey for anti-bacterial wound dressings and is used by the NHS.
It has also become a favourite of celebrities such as opera singer Katherine Jenkins and tennis star Novak Djokovic, who use the honey as part of their health and fitness regimes.
Dr Fyfe said: ‘I have looked at the anti-microbial properties of hundreds of honeys but these two honeys have this exceptional activity.
‘We found Portobello honey and the Highland honey were as active as the Manuka honey.
‘We have discovered something in these honeys that has not been described before and might explain why these have these exceptional properties.’
The scientist said the active ingredient of Manuka honey and the two Scottish honeys is a compound known as methylglyoxal.
Dr Fyfe said she believes the antibacterial effect of the two honeys is due to a previously unreported combination of molecules that combat the bug.
Portobello honey was originally produced by bees kept in Portobello Community Orchard, which is maintained by community organisation Pedal.
Samples from the first year, 2011, were found to contain ‘fatty diacid glycoside derivatives not previously identified in honeys’.
However Dr Fyfe, who has coauthored a study published in the journal LWT – Food Science and Technology, said the colony of bees has been re-housed else- where under 24-hour CCTV watch.
Yet the vandalism incident has had an unexpected bonus, as the soil at the new location helps the plants produce better pollen, she added.
Dr Fyfe said: ‘The most active honeys come from plants which are really robust or come from a poor soil. Plants which have to survive in a poor environment have to be really strong.
‘That is reflected in the activity of the honey because what we normally find is that blossom honeys are a lot weaker than heather honeys.’
Now the Scottish team plan to trial the honey on flesh-eating MRSA bugs and on the bacteria that cause food poisoning.
‘Exceptional properties’