Health Benefits of Honey and Other Bee Products

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2020-2021

Course director

Number of hours/semester

lectures: 10 hours

practices: 14 hours

seminars: 0 hours

total of: 24 hours

Subject data

  • Code of subject: OAF-MEM-T
  • 2 kredit
  • General Medicine
  • Optional modul
  • autumn
Prerequisites:

-

Course headcount limitations

min. 3 – max. 15

Available as Campus course for 3 fő számára. Campus-karok: TTK

Topic

Honey and other products of the beehive (e.g. propolis, royal jelly) have had an important role in preserving our health since ancient times. Today there is growing interest towards various fields of apitherapy both from healthcare professionals and people who intend to use a bee product to alleviate the symptoms of a disease or for prevention. The course provides an overview about various fields of apitherapy, including the origin, types, physico-chemical characteristics and medicinal application of honey, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom - based on recent scientific evidence. The course will cover the issues related to the adulteration and identification of honey. The practice will focus on the analysis of various types of honey: the botanical origin of honey will be confirmed with microscopical pollen analysis and measurement of physico-chemical parameters, while the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of honey will be determined with in vitro tests.

Lectures

  • 1. Botanical and geographical origin of honeys. - Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • 2. Chemical composition of honey. - Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • 3. Honey types of Hungary (botanical origin, sensory analysis, physico-chemical properties). - Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • 4. Honey types worldwide (botanical origin, sensory analysis, physico-chemical properties). - Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • 5. Methods used in identification of honey samples. Honey adulteration. - Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • 6. Identifying honeys with microscopical pollen analysis. - Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • 7. Medicinal application of honey. - Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • 8. Antimicrobial effect of honey and propolis. - Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • 9. Other fields of apitherapy. - Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • 10. Other bee products with health benefits. - Dr. Farkas Ágnes

Practices

  • 1. Sensory analysis of honeys.
  • 2. Examination of physico-chemical properties of honeys.
  • 3. Microscopical pollen analysis of honeys I.
  • 4. Microscopical pollen analysis of honeys II.
  • 5. Microscopical pollen analysis of honeys III.
  • 6. Microscopical pollen analysis of honeys IV.
  • 7. Measuring antioxidant capacity of honey samples I.
  • 8. Measuring antioxidant capacity of honey samples II.
  • 9. Measuring antioxidant capacity of honey samples III.
  • 10. Measuring antioxidant capacity of honey samples IV.
  • 11. Determining the antimicrobial effect of honey samples with in vitro assays I.
  • 12. Determining the antimicrobial effect of honey samples with in vitro assays II.
  • 13. Determining the antimicrobial effect of propolis with in vitro assays I.
  • 14. Determining the antimicrobial effect of propolis with in vitro assays II.

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

Teaching materials (Power Point slideshows) will be available at the website of the Department of Pharmacognosy.

Notes

Recommended literature

The course will involve critical evaluation of recent literature sources (articles in scientific journals, book chapters, websites).

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

Maximum of 15 % absence allowed

Mid-term exams

Students have to pass 2 written tests with at least 60% of good answers.
Students are required to prepare lab notes based on laboratory activities.

Making up for missed classes

There is no possibility for making up for missed classes.

Exam topics/questions

(1) Botanical and geographical origin of honey.
(2) Chemical composition of honey.
(3) Types of honeys in Hungary and abroad.
(4) Sensory analysis of honeys.
(5) Physico-chemical characteristics of different honey types.
(6) Methods for identifying various types of honey.
(7) Microscopic pollen analysis of honeys.
(8) Honey adulteration.
(9) Medicinal use of honey.
(10) Other fields of apitherapy.
(11) Other bee products with health benefits.
(12) Antioxidant activity of honeys.
(13) Antimicrobial effect of honey and propolis.

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars

  • Dr. Farkas Ágnes
  • Nagy-Radványi Lilla