Anti-aging benefits of protected honey from Azores Islands spotlighted
08 Feb 2023 --- A study published in Applied Sciences has uncovered the anti-aging capacity of the honey produced from the invasive plant species, Pittosporum undulatum, from the Azores Islands.
Honey is increasingly used as an ingredient in cosmetics due to its moisturizing, emollient, nourishing and antibacterial properties. It is also reported to have enzyme inhibitory capacity, such as tyrosinase, that could be explained by the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids.
This study evaluated the phenolic content, phytochemicals and biological activities of honey from the plant to enhance its value as a national food product and assess potential applications in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
The phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were evaluated by spectrophotometric methods. Anti-aging properties from tyrosinase inhibitory capacity ranged upward from 4 to 9% and 37 to 45% for elastase inhibitory capacity.
Protected designation of origin
Pittosporum undulatum is sometimes called sweet pittosporum, native daphne, Australian cheesewood, Victorian box or mock orange. The genus covers 200 species worldwide, is native to Australia and has been introduced in several countries including Portugal.
The plant is present in the Azores archipelago to protect orange tree plantations. Pittosporum undulatum is a source of wood and compost for pineapple and honey and has several economic uses.
Honey from P. undulatum is a Protected Designation of Origin product.
The honey from this species can be characterized by having a pollen percentage of P. undulatum higher than 30%. The Azores government classifies the honey variety as a Protected Designation of Origin product with organoleptic characteristics. The specifications are published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Meanwhile, nature-based ingredient solutions provider CP Kelco featured a comprehensive range of offerings at In-Cosmetics 2022 to help companies develop new products in the fast-growing personal care sector.
Phytochemicals and phenolic compounds
Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites synthesized by plants as a response to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Biotic stress is when the organism undergoes damage from bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, insects, weeds and cultivated or native plants. Abiotic stress occurs from the negative impacts of non-living factors on living organisms.
The phytochemicals have different biological effects such as antioxidants, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging, preventing or inhibiting the reactive oxygen species that cause oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress and the radical species can affect the biosynthetic activity of skin cells, improving skin aging by modulating aging-related enzymes, including tyrosinase and elastase. Foods with enzyme inhibitory activity can be used as a clinically helpful nutraceutical and a disease-prevention functional food element.
Tyrosinase is an enzyme involved in melanogenesis and responsible for skin pigmentation and consequently, for protecting against damage caused by radiation, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
However, if the enzyme is overproduced, it can result in an excessive accumulation of epidermal pigmentation, leading to several disorders, such as age spots. Elastase is also an enzyme associated with skin aging since it is the main one responsible for elastin hydrolysis, an extracellular protein (which provides elasticity and resilience) causing loss of skin firmness.
Honey is used more frequently in the beauty segment as a moisturizing and antibacterial ingredient.
In addition, Australia-based Jericho Skincare spotlighted its Anti-Aging Beauty Bundle Dead Sea product range that features mineral, salt and black mud ingredients for healthy skin aging. The serum is formulated with pure honey, plant extracts, vitamins, antioxidants and active Dead Sea minerals.
“Rules of the road”
Due to the rapidly expanding honey trade industry, the Codex Alimentarius states that “rules of the road” need to be established that take the requirements to guarantee equal conditions, standardization, security and transparency from production to commercialization into consideration.
In the interest of ensuring the quality of honey, the Codex refers to many parameters, including a maximum of 40 mg/kg of 5-hydroxymethylfurfu-ral content, which is related to honey freshness, being affected by overheating and storage time because it is a chemical compound that results from the decomposition of monosaccharides or the Maillard reaction.
In addition, the management associated with the control and removal of invasive plants is laborious to implement, making it essential to have economically viable alternatives for their use.
The researchers recommended conducting studies into its chemical composition and pharmacological application as one of the more practical control actions of these invasive species, including Pittosporum undulatum.
By Inga de Jong
