چکیده (انگلیسی):

Beeswax is the substance that forms the structure of a honeycomb; the bees secrete wax to
build the honeycombs where to store honey. Thanks to its rich hydrophobic protective
properties, the beeswax is in fact present within cosmetics and body products. Also,
beeswax is used in the food industry: as a film to wrap cheese for maturing or as a food
additive (E901) to give shine to the products. Exactly as the honey which it contains,
beeswax is also characterized by several therapeutic properties of great interest to us; it is
thought to be particularly effective in healing bruises, inflammation and burns. Recently,
the interest of researchers has moved even on antimicrobial properties of beeswax
although there are still few studies in the literature focused only on the action of beeswax.
The few studies showed an antimicrobic effectiveness of beeswax against overall
Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger;
these inhibitory effects are enhanced synergistically with other natural products such as
honey or olive oil. This minireview aims to be a collection of major scientific works that
have considered the antimicrobial activity of beeswax alone or in combination with other
natural products in recent years.