Phytochemicals, Anti-Amylase and Anti-Acetylcholinesterase Activities of Honey and Bee Bread of Stingless Bees

Honey and bee bread from stingless bees are widely recognized for their health benefits and are considered promising sources of bioactive compounds for medicinal applications.  Inhibition for amylase and acetylcholinesterase activities is an important medicinal property involved in the prevention of type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. In this study, the anti-amylase and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities of stingless bee honey and bee bread, flower extracts of Clitoria ternatea L., and a honey-flower drink were evaluated using colorimetric assays. The phytochemical profiles of these samples were further analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The findings of this study indicated the presence of anti-amylase and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities in the honey and bee bread, flower extracts of C. ternatea L., and the formulated flower and honey drink. The flower and honey drink exhibited the strongest anti-acetylcholinesterase activity, while ethanol extracts from bee bread demonstrated the highest anti-amylase activity.  In addition, these findings indicated that the FTIR showed functional groups of flavonoids, while GC–MS confirmed the presence of several phytochemicals with biological activities.  Interestingly, a siginifcant positive correlation was found between anti-acetylcholinesterase activity and FTIR data (β=0.427, p-value <0.05), while a significant negative correlation was found between anti-amylase activity and FTIR data (β=-0.307, p-value<0.05). Honey and bee bread can be developed as healthy drinks.