Key role of hydrogen peroxide in antimicrobial activity of spring, Honeydew maquis and chestnut grove Corsican honeys on Pseudomonas aeruginosa DNA.

We started to determine the antibacterial efficiency of Corsican chestnut grove and honeydew maquis honeys on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. No morphological alteration of the bacterial surface was observed. Antimicrobial action seems to be related to the synergy between hydrogen peroxide and phenolic compounds. The exerted pro-oxidant activity leads to a degradation of P. aeruginosa plasmidic DNA. This is the first study that investigate the primary antibacterial mechanism of Corsican honeys.