EXPLORING SPECIES DIVERSITY AND FUNCTIONAL GENES IN  NATURAL HONEY FROM SON LA, VIETNAM USING METAGENOMIC APPROACH

Nguyễn Hoàng Nam; Phạm Minh Đức; Kim Thị Phương Oanh; Trần Thị Thúy

doi:10.34238/tnu-jst.11854

EXPLORING SPECIES DIVERSITY AND FUNCTIONAL GENES IN NATURAL HONEY FROM SON LA, VIETNAM USING METAGENOMIC APPROACH

About this article

Received: 10/01/25 Revised: 31/03/25 Published: 31/03/25

Authors

1. Nguyen Hoang Nam , Hanoi National University of Education
2. Pham Minh Duc, Hanoi National University of Education
3. Kim Thi Phuong Oanh, Viện Sinh học - Viện Hàn lâm Khoa học và Công nghệ Việt Nam
4. Tran Thi Thuy, Hanoi National University of Education

Abstract

Honey is a widely consumed food and a habitat for diverse microorganisms. In this paper, we employed the metagenomics approach to investigate the species composition and genetic make-up of natural honey from Moc Chau, Yen Chau and Quynh Nhai districts, Son La province in Vietnam, where is favorable for honey production. The results revealed that honey contains DNA from various microorganisms, notably the bacterium Apilactobacillus kunkeei and the yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii. Observable differences in microbial composition among 06 honey samples have been noted, suggesting that metagenomics could be applied to trace honey’s geographic and biological origins. The gene function profiles of microorganisms in honey indicate diverse metabolic activities and biological processes, with similar functional gene compositions across samples. The functional group "Defense Mechanisms" accounts for an average of 2.94±0.13%, reflecting microbial adaptations to the harsh environment of honey through efflux pump systems. Genes associated with “Secondary compound metabolism” average 1.52±0.43%, demonstrating that honey is a source of bioactive compounds. This study provides a honey metagenomic data resource for exploring novel microorganisms and genes in Vietnamese honey.

Keywords

Honey; Metagenomics; Species composition; Gene function; Vietnam

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34238/tnu-jst.11854

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