Honey microbiome as a source of bioactive metabolites: the role of the microorganisms and the influence of physicochemical parameters.

Beyond its nutritional and therapeutic properties, honey contains a unique microbiome that may also function as an additional active component. The composition and activity of the microbiome depend on physicochemical parameters such as sugar profile, pH, and water activity, which reflect the origin and authenticity of honey. Microorganisms present in honey produce metabolites with health-promoting properties, including antibacterial properties, which are a potential source of therapeutic compounds. Current methods for assessing honey quality rely primarily on chemical and microbiological analyses. An increasingly important role is played by advanced chromatographic techniques, which, when combined with chemometric tools, machine learning, and multi-omics, enable more precise and comprehensive evaluation of honey authenticity and quality. However, there are no standardized protocols integrating physicochemical, microbiological, and metabolomic data, which limits the full assessment of honey's bioactive potential. Future research should consider an integrated approach, combining traditional analytical methods with modern techniques, including omics and computational tools, to enable rapid and comprehensive assessment of the microbiome and its metabolites. This will allow the identification of bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential, while supporting authenticity verification, honey quality control, and bee health protection. This study focuses on a critical assessment of knowledge about the honey microbiome, its metabolites, and methods for studying them, identifying key research gaps and directions for future research. Important aspect is the correlation between honey microbiome and its properties.