Article Details
A Review of Methylglyoxal Content and Antioxidant Potential of Apis cerana and Apis dorsata Honey from Sumbawa for Functional Livestock Products and Veterinary Health
Tinjauan mengenai Kandungan Metilglioksal dan Potensi Antioksidan Madu dari Apis cerana dan Apis dorsata asal Sumbawa untuk Produk Peternakan Fungsional dan Kesehatan Veteriner
Main Article Content
Honey produced by Apis cerana and Apis dorsata in Sumbawa, Indonesia, is widely recognized for its medicinal value, primarily due to its rich content of methylglyoxal (MGO), phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. These bioactive components contribute to the honey’s strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties, offering potential benefits for improving livestock health. This review explores the MGO concentration and antioxidant activity of both A. cerana and A. dorsata honey from Sumbawa, while assessing its potential as a functional livestock supplement within the One Health approach. Relevant literature from 2004 to 2025 was systematically reviewed using Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. Honey from managed colonies (A. cerana) and wild nests (A. dorsata) was typically analyzed using HPLC, SERS, or qNMR for MGO quantification, while antioxidant potential was measured through Folin-Ciocalteu, aluminum chloride, DPPH, and FRAP assays. Findings indicate that A. cerana honey shows varying MGO levels influenced by floral sources and location, while studies on A. dorsata honey remain limited. Both types demonstrate significant antioxidant activity linked to their phenolic and flavonoid content. Evidence suggests their role in reducing oxidative stress, supporting immune function, and promoting livestock well-being. Overall, Sumbawa honey, especially from A. cerana, shows promise as a natural additive for livestock health management, aligning with sustainable agriculture and One Health principles. Further in vivo research is required to validate its therapeutic potential, particularly for A. dorsata honey.
Received: 15 Oct 2025; Accepted: 05 Apr 2026; Available Online: 04 Nov 2026;
Ahmed, S., Sulaiman, S. A., Baig, A. A., Ibrahim, M., Liaqat, S., Fatima, S., Jabeen, S., Shamim, N., & Othman, N. H. (2018). Honey as a potential natural antioxidant medicine: an insight into its molecular mechanisms of action. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2018(1), 8367846. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/8367846
Al Hasan, R., Wahyono, E., Wicaksono, A., Agustine, R., Ishak, A., & Manan, A. (2025). Income contribution from forest honey: digital era opportunities for economic and environmental sustainability in Sumbawa. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1438(1), 12033. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1438/1/012033
Alzahrani, H. A., Boukraâ, L., Bellik, Y., Abdellah, F., Bakhotmah, B. A., Kolayli, S., & Sahin, H. (2012). Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of three varieties of honey from different botanical and geographical origins. Global Journal of Health Science, 4(6), 191-196. https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v4n6p191
Atrott, J., & Henle, T. (2009). Methylglyoxal in manuka honey–correlation with antibacterial properties. Czech J. Food Sci., 27(1), S163-S165. https://doi.org/10.17221/911-CJFS
Cao, L., He, C., & Sun, Y. (2021). Physicochemical and antioxidant properties of honeys produced by Apis dorsata and Apis laboriosa. Food and Fermentation Industries, 47(9), 262-267. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.5555/20210265243
Choi, J.-S. (2021). Nutrition, safety, health functional effects, and availability of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Drone Pupae. Insects, 12(9), 771, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12090771
Degen, J., Vogel, M., Richter, D., Hellwig, M., & Henle, T. (2013). Metabolic transit of dietary methylglyoxal. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 61(43), 10253–10260. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf304946p
Fidaleo, M., Zuorro, A., & Lavecchia, R. (2010). Methylglyoxal: a new weapon against staphylococcal wound infections? Chemistry Letters, 39(4), 322–323. https://doi.org/10.1246/cl.2010.322
Hasbullah, M. I. J. J., Binjamin, B., Ador, K., Gobilik, J., Seung, C. C. F., Sam, L. M., Yaakub, N. M., Choon, J. L. N., & Benedick, S. (2024). Volatile organic compounds (vocs), dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and methylglyoxal (MGO) in tropical multifloral honey (apidae; apis cerana) from sites of different geographical origin in sabah, borneo. Malaysian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 27(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114910
Hayashi, K., Fukushima, A., Hayashi-Nishino, M., & Nishino, K. (2014). Effect of methylglyoxal on multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Frontiers in Microbiology, 5, 180, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00180
Hilary, S., Habib, H., Souka, U., Ibrahim, W., & Platat, C. (2017). Bioactivity of arid region honey: an in vitro study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 17(1), 177, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-017-1664-9
Kishore, R. K., Halim, A. S., Syazana, M. S. N., & Sirajudeen, K. N. S. (2011). Tualang honey has higher phenolic content and greater radical scavenging activity compared with other honey sources. Nutrition Research, 31(4), 322–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2011.03.001
Kniel, K. E., Kumar, D., & Thakur, S. (2018). Understanding the complexities of food safety using a “One Health” approach. Preharvest Food Safety, 401–411. https://doi.org/10.1128/9781555819644.ch22
Kuropatnicki, A. K., Kłósek, M., & Kucharzewski, M. (2018). Honey as medicine: historical perspectives. Journal of Apicultural Research, 57(1), 113–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2017.1411182
López-Casas, S., Ávila-Vargas, L., Jiménez, N., & González, J. (2024). Prioritizing the health of aquatic ecosystems to ensure human and biodiversity health. Acta Biol Colomb, 29(3), 22-25. https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v29n3.117023
López-Uribe, M. M., Ricigliano, V. A., & Simone-Finstrom, M. (2020). Defining pollinator health: a holistic approach based on ecological, genetic, and physiological factors. Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, 8(1), 269–294. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-animal-020518-115045
Mair, K. S., Irrgeher, J., & Haluza, D. (2023). Elucidating the role of honey bees as biomonitors in environmental health research. Insects, 14(11), 874, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14110874
Malhi, Y., Franklin, J., Seddon, N., Solan, M., Turner, M. G., Field, C. B., & Knowlton, N. (2020). Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions. In Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society B., 375(1794), 20190104). The Royal Society. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0104
Miguel, M. G., Antunes, M. D., & Faleiro, M. L. (2017). Honey as a complementary medicine. Integrative Medicine Insights, 12, 1178633717702869. https://doi.org/10.1177/1178633717702869
Prata, J. C., & Martins da Costa, P. (2024). Honeybees and the one health approach. Environments, 11(8), 161, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080161
Safitri, E., Purnobasuki, H., Al-Anshori, A. A., Lestari, T. D., Utama, S., & Yimer, N. (2024). Honey-derived phytochemicals: Implications for stem cell activation and health benefits. Journal of Functional Foods, 114, 106058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2024.106058
Schouten, C., Lloyd, D., Ansharyani, I., Salminah, M., Somerville, D., & Stimpson, K. (2020). The role of honey hunting in supporting subsistence livelihoods in Sumbawa, Indonesia. Geographical Research, 58(1), 64–76. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-5871.12380
Semuel, M. Y., Kaunang, E. S. N., & Manopo, J. S. (2019). The bioactive contents and antioxidant activity of honey bee nest extract of Apis dorsata Binghami from the North Sulawesi. Molekul, 14(2), 92–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.20884/1.jm.2019.14.2.502
Socha, R., Juszczak, L., Pietrzyk, S., Gałkowska, D., Fortuna, T., & Witczak, T. (2011). Phenolic profile and antioxidant properties of Polish honeys. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 46(3), 528–534. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2010.02517.x
Stephens, J. M., Greenwood, D. R., Fearnley, L., Bong, J., Schlothauer, R. C., & Loomes, K. M. (2015). Honey production and compositional parameters. In Processing and impact on active components in food (pp. 675–680). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-404699-3.00081-0
Sultanbawa, Y., Cozzolino, D., Fuller, S., Cusack, A., Currie, M., & Smyth, H. (2015). Infrared spectroscopy as a rapid tool to detect methylglyoxal and antibacterial activity in Australian honeys. Food Chemistry, 172, 207–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.09.067
Terio, V., Bozzo, G., Ceci, E., Savarino, A. E., Barrasso, R., Di Pinto, A., Mottola, A., Marchetti, P., Tantillo, G., & Bonerba, E. (2021). Methylglyoxal (MGO) in Italian Honey. Applied Sciences, 11(2), 831, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020831
Terzo, S., Mulè, F., & Amato, A. (2020). Honey and obesity-related dysfunctions: A summary on health benefits. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 82, 108401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2020.108401
Ustinova, O. I., & Ustinov, Y. V. (2016). Biological activity of honey as natural health product. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences, 7(1), 1032–1038. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292464534_Biological_activity_of_honey_as_natural_health_product
Vithanage, M., & Prasad, M. N. V. (2023). One Health: Human, Animal, and Environment Triad. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 87-93. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=-WfFEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA22&dq=Vithanage,+M.,+%26+Prasad,+M.+N.+V.+(2023).+One+Health:+Human,+Animal,+and+Environment+Triad.+John+Wiley+%26+Sons.+pp.+87-93.&ots=O7OxVd85KV&sig=P-NTgv2-ToEQ0UYIksK2V-1PHPs&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Wilczyńska, A., & Żak, N. (2024). Polyphenols as the main compounds influencing the antioxidant effect of honey—A review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(19), 10606. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251910606
Wilfert, L., Brown, M. J. F., & Doublet, V. (2021). OneHealth implications of infectious diseases of wild and managed bees. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 186, 107506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2020.107506
Windsor, S., Pappalardo, M., Brooks, P. R., Williams, S., & Manley-Harris, M. (2012). A convenient new analysis of dihydroxyacetone and methylglyoxal applied to Australian Leptospermum honeys. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, 4(1), 6–11. https://doi.org/10.5897/JPP11.025
Wu, J., Duan, Y., Gao, Z., Yang, X., Zhao, D., Gao, J., Han, W., Li, G., & Wang, S. (2020). Quality comparison of multifloral honeys produced by Apis cerana cerana, Apis dorsata and Lepidotrigona flavibasis. Lwt, 134, 110225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.110225
Wu, J., Zhao, S., Chen, X., Jiu, Y., Liu, J., Gao, J., & Wang, S. (2022). Physicochemical parameters, multi-elemental composition and antiradical activity of multifloral honeys from Apis cerana cerana in Hainan province, China. Food Science and Technology, 42, e22522. https://doi.org/10.1590/fst.22522
Zhao, H., Cheng, N., He, L., Peng, G., Liu, Q., Ma, T., & Cao, W. (2018). Hepatoprotective effects of the honey of apis cerana fabricius on bromobenzene‐induced liver damage in mice. Journal of Food Science, 83(2), 509–516. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.14021
