Sánchez Martín, VanesaLópez-Parra, Marta B.Iriondo De Hond, AmaiaWojdyło, AnetaMichalska-Ciechanowska, AnnaHaza Duaso, Ana IsabelMorales Gómez, Palomadel Castillo, María Dolores2025-07-112025-07-112025Sánchez-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/ph1807098810.3390/ph18070988https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/122435Contribución 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.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.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/journal article1424-8247https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18070988open access663/665Clostridium perfringensListeria monocytogenesFoodborne pathogensHoney-propolis combinationsPhenolic compoundsTecnología de los alimentos3309 Tecnología de Los Alimentos3206 Ciencias de la Nutrición