Dihydroxyacetone in the Floral Nectar of Ericomyrtus serpyllifolia (Turcz.) Rye (Myrtaceae) and Verticordia chrysantha Endl. (Myrtaceae) Demonstrates That This Precursor to Bioactive Honey Is Not Restricted to the Genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae)

Ma ̅nuka honey is known for its strong bioactivity,whicharises from the autocatalytic conversion of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (dihydroxyacetone,DHA) in the floral nectar of Leptospermum scoparium (Myrtaceae) to the non-peroxide antibacterial compound methylglyoxalduring honey maturation. DHA is also a minor constituent of the nectarof several other Leptospermum species.This study used high-performance liquid chromatography to test whetherDHA was present in the floral nectar of five species in other generaof the family Myrtaceae: Ericomyrtus serpyllifolia (Turcz.) Rye, Chamelaucium sp. Bendering(T.J. Alford 110), Kunzea pulchella (Lindl.) A.S. George, Verticordia chrysantha Endl., and Verticordia picta Endl.DHA was found in the floral nectar of two of the five species: E. serpyllifolia and V. chrysantha. The average amount of DHA detected was 0.08 and 0.64 & mu;g perflower, respectively. These findings suggest that the accumulationof DHA in floral nectar is a shared trait among several genera withinthe family Myrtaceae. Consequently, non-peroxide-based bioactive honeymay be sourced from floral nectar outside the genus Leptospermum.

Automated summary

Manuka honey is known for its strong bioactivity due to the conversion of DHA in floral nectar to the antibacterial compound methylglyoxal during honey maturation. This study found that DHA was present in the floral nectar of two species in the family Myrtaceae, suggesting that DHA accumulation is a shared trait among several genera. This indicates that non-peroxide-based bioactive honey can be sourced from floral nectar outside of the Leptospermum genus.