Effects of Active Ingredients in Alcoholic Beverages and Their De-Alcoholized Counterparts on High-Fat Diet Bees: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The mechanisms by which alcohol, alcoholic beverages, and their de-alcoholized derivatives affect animal physiology, metabolism, and gut microbiota have not yet been clarified. The polyphenol, monosaccharide, amino acid, and organic acid contents of four common alcoholic beverages (Chinese Baijiu, beer, Chinese Huangjiu, and wine) and their de-alcoholized counterparts were analyzed. The research further explored how these alcoholic beverages and their non-alcoholic versions affect obesity and gut microbiota, using a high-fat diet bee model created with 2% palm oil (PO). The results showed that wine, possessing the highest polyphenol content, and its de-alcoholized form, particularly when diluted five-fold (WDX5), markedly improved the health markers of PO-fed bees, including weight, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels in blood lymphocytes. WDX5 treatment notably increased the presence of beneficial microbes such as Bartonella, Gilliamella, and Bifidobacterium, while decreasing Bombilactobacillus abundance. Moreover, WDX5 was found to closely resemble sucrose water (SUC) in terms of gut microbial function, significantly boosting short-chain fatty acids, lipopolysaccharide metabolism, and associated enzymatic pathways, thereby favorably affecting metabolic regulation and gut microbiota stability in bees.