Floral Markers of Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) Honey and its Peroxide Antibacterial Activity for an Alternative Treatment of Digital Dermatitis

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) honey can be characterized by a greenish-yellow color and an intensive flavor with a bitter aftertaste. Since cornflower honey contains only a limited amount of pollen for the verification of its floral origin, one objective was the characterization of its polyphenol and norisoprenoid content to assign floral markers. Here, lumichrome (18.8 - 43.5 mg/kg), 7-carboxylumichrome, (Z/E)-3-oxo-retro-α-ionol, and 3-oxo-α-ionol appeared to be quite suitable for distinguishing cornflower honey from other unifloral honeys. Additionally, due to its comparably high hydrogen peroxide content (0.5 - 0.9 mM/h) and the associated antibacterial activity, cornflower honey was used as an alternative treatment of digital dermatitis on an organic dairy farm. Cows affected by this hoof disease often show severe lameness, and a subsequent decline in milk yield and a loss of body condition. The cows' hoofs treated with cornflower honey showed significantly faster healing than the control group without any treatment.