RT Journal Article
T1 Natural Honey-Propolis Combinations with Health-Promoting Potential: Antibacterial Activity Against Foodborne Pathogens
A1 Sánchez Martín, Vanesa
A1 López-Parra, Marta B.
A1 Iriondo De Hond, Amaia
A1 Wojdyło, Aneta
A1 Michalska-Ciechanowska, Anna
A1 Haza Duaso, Ana Isabel
A1 Morales Gómez, Paloma
A1 del Castillo, María Dolores
AB Background/Objectives: Natural products such as honey and propolis have been widely studied for their antimicrobial properties. Combining these substances has shown synergistic effects against foodborne pathogens and has also demonstrated promising results in previous applications on fermented meat products. This study evaluated the antibacterial potential of Spanish thyme (Thymus spp.) and chestnut (Castanea sativa) honeys, enriched with 10% ethanolic extract of propolis, against two major foodborne pathogens: Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium perfringens. Methods: Antibacterial activity was assessed using broth microdilution assays and colony-forming unit (CFU) counts. The phenolic composition of the most active samples was characterized by LC-MS-Q/TOF and UPLC-PDA to identify and quantify the bioactive compounds. Results: All samples exhibited differential responses depending on the pathogen, with C. perfringens being the most susceptible. Propolis addition significantly enhanced the bactericidal response of honey against L. monocytogenes and C. perfringens (p < 0.05). This effect correlated with higher levels of antimicrobial phenolic compounds, particularly cinnamic acid derivatives, pinobanksin-3-O-hexanoside, sakuranetin, quercetin, and quercetin-3,7-dimethyl ether. Conclusions: These findings support the synergistic antibacterial potential of honey-propolis combinations, highlighting their application as natural preservatives for reducing the risk of foodborne diseases, as well as bioactive ingredients in nutraceutical formulations with antibacterial properties and additional health benefits.
PB MDPI
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/122435
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/122435
LA eng
NO Sánchez-Martín, V., López-Parra, M. B., Iriondo-DeHond, A., Wojdyło, A., Michalska-Ciechanowska, A., Haza, A. I., Morales, P., & del Castillo, M. D. (2025). Natural Honey-Propolis Combinations with Health-Promoting Potential: Antibacterial Activity Against Foodborne Pathogens. Pharmaceuticals, 18(7), 988. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18070988
NO Contribución de autores:Conceptualization, A.I.H., P.M. and M.D.d.C.; methodology, V.S.-M., A.I.-D., A.M.-C., A.W., A.I.H., P.M. and M.D.d.C.; investigation, V.S.-M., A.I.-D., A.M.-C., A.W., A.I.H., P.M. and M.D.d.C.; data curation, V.S.-M., M.B.L.-P., A.M.-C. and A.W.; writing—original draft preparation, V.S.-M. and M.D.d.C.; writing—review and editing, V.S.-M., M.B.L.-P., A.I.-D., A.M.-C., A.W., A.I.H., P.M. and M.D.d.C.; funding acquisition, A.I.H., P.M. and M.D.d.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
NO Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España9
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 25 dic 2025