Tualang Honey as a source of prebiotic?

Tualang honey is a wild multi-floral honey, meticulously produced by the stinging bee Apis dorsata, commonly known as the giant rock bee. Apis dorsata, measuring an impressive 17 to 20mm in body length, construct their hives high up in the sturdy branches of the Tualang tree, scientifically referred to as Kompassia excelsa. They diligently collects nectar from a diverse array of plants and blossoms found within the lush tropical rainforests of the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, hence the honey has a richer and complex taste, and there is research that has found it has higher phenolic content compared to monofloral honey.

Primarily, honey is predominantly comprised of sugar, constituting up to a remarkable 80% of its composition. Within this sugar content, the monosaccharides fructose and glucose reign supreme, accounting for approximately 70% of the overall composition, and the remaining portion is comprised of di-, tri-, oligo-, and polysaccharides, which also including the fructo-oligosaccharides, a type of prebiotic naturally found in honey. Beyond its sugar content, honey encompasses a diverse array of other constituents. Other components of honey include a water content of between 15 and 20%, proteins, organic acids (such as gluconic acid), minerals, plant phytochemicals, and vitamins.

• A research study has discovered that local wild Tualang honey contains a type of prebiotics, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) . The FOS present in local wild Tualang honey includes inulobiose, kestose, and nystose. In this study, Tualang honey samples were found to promote the growth of Bifidobacterium longum BB536.
• B. longum BB536 is a multifunctional probiotic that is effective in alleviating gastrointestinal, immunological and infectious diseases. As anticipated, the addition of honey into skim milk was observed to support the growth of B. longum BB536, and may have the potential as another prebiotic source.

Several studies have assessed the effect of honey on the growth of probiotic bacteria and in probiotic food products, such as milk or yogurt, which is then proven the prebiotic potential of the honey.  Specifically, honey has been found to support and promote the growth of probiotic Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species:

• B. longum, B. adolescentis, B. breve, B. bifidum, and B. infantis,
• L. acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. reuteri, and L. rhamnosus.

The growth-promoting effect of honey on bifidobacteria and lactobacilli is usually comparable to that of oligosaccharide prebiotics, including fructooligosaccharide (FOS), galactooligosaccharide (GOS), or inulin, where these prebiotics are included as the controls in the studies.

Enjoy the natural prebiotics

Tualang honey containing fructo-oligosaccharides, prebiotics promoting the growth of probiotics to improve gut health. It can be easily incorporated into your diet by adding it to various food and drink items, such as tea, coffee, yogurt, or oatmeal. Here’s a simple recipe with a boost of probiotics and prebiotics that you can try out!