Adela Moise

Nutraceutical properties of Romanian heather honey

Purpose – The main purpose of this study is to create a complete physico‐chemical characterisation of Romanian heather honey.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 30 samples of heather honey were harvested from three different geographical areas (Fântânele, Călăţele, Mărisel) from Transylvania region (Romania). This study contains a complete characterization of heather honey regarding its physico‐chemical composition, total phenols content, flavonoids content, antioxidant activity (expressed as radical scavenging activity – RSA) and micro‐ and macroelements content.Findings – The results obtained for the total phenols content and total flavonoids demonstrate that honey samples have good bioactive properties and the antioxidant activities are similar to those of dark honeys. Heather honeys normally have a high content of minerals, having their origin in soil. All quantified minerals in heather honey presented values higher that those reported for other types of honey.Practical implications – Heather hon...

Honey and Diabetes: The Importance of Natural Simple Sugars in Diet for Preventing and Treating Different Type of Diabetes

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder with multifactorial and heterogeneous etiologies. Two types of diabetes are common among humans: type 1 diabetes that occurs when the immune system attacks and destroys insulin and type 2 diabetes, the most common form, that may be caused by several factors, the most important being lifestyle, but also may be determined by different genes. Honey was used in folk medicine for a long time, but the health benefits were explained in the last decades, when the scientific world was concerned in testing and thus explaining the benefits of honey. Different studies demonstrate the hypoglycemic effect of honey, but the mechanism of this effect remains unclear. This review presents the experimental studies completed in the recent years, which support honey as a novel antidiabetic agent that might be of potential significance for the management of diabetes and its complications and also highlights the potential impacts and future perspectives on the use of honey as an antidiabetic agent.

Multidirectional Activities for Gene Pool Conservation in GCEARS-PSP

The Global Centre of Excellence for Advance Research in Sericulture and Promotion of Silk Production (GCEARS-PSP), recognised by ISC since 2014, was created with the main purposes: development of advanced research in sericulture and diagnostic services using modern techniques, achievement of a gene pool of different silkworms races and promotion of silk production. The objective of this study was to characterize the races from the GCEARS-PSP, in order to conserve the most valuable and resistant ones. This characterisation is a part of GCEARSPSP’s strategy for the revival and development of sericulture and silk production in Romania. The GCEARS-PSP represents an important point of reference for Romanian sericulture. The experimental data described showed a good prospective for a proper functioning of the research centre and the obtained results are promising for the next lines of research.