A meta-analysis of the effects of gamma irradiation on biochemical and physical characteristics of honey

Abstract

Gamma irradiation can be used to sterilize honey products. Many previous reports related to biochemical, physical characteristics and antibacterial activity on irradiated honey have not been combined into one quantitative report. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effects of gamma irradiation on biochemical and physical characteristics of honey. The source of data in meta-analysis study was conducted on search engines (Scopus®, PubMed®, and Google scholar®), searched with "irradiation", "gamma", and "honey"as keywords. Data on gamma irradiation dosage and characteristics of honey were extracted from 12 articles and 44 studies (control vs. irradiated honey). The meta-analysis results showed that gamma irradiation reduced moisture content (p < 0.01). However, gamma irradiation had no effect on viscosity, sugars, total soluble solids, and ash content. It is interesting to note that gamma irradiation significantly increased flavonoid and phenolic compounds (p < 0.01). Gamma irradiation also reduced the level of microorganism in honey (p < 0.01), as reported in total aerobic plate count variable. In summary, except for moisture and vitamin C, gamma irradiation did not influence biochemical characteristics of honey. Gamma irradiation also had no effect on viscosity as physical parameters.