Microbiological quality of honey from the Pampas Region (Argentina) throughout the extraction process

Abstract

The microbiological quality of honey obtained from different processing points and the environmental quality within honey houses were assessed in the Pampas Region (Argentina). Mold and yeast (MY), culturable heterotrophic mesophilic bacteria (CHMB), the number of spore-forming bacteria as well as the presence of Shigella spp., Salmonella spp. and fecal coliforms were evaluated in 163 samples. These samples were taken from eight honey houses. Results showed that 89 samples had ≤10CFU of MY/g honey, 69 ranged from 10 to 50CFU/g and two reached 65.5CFU/g. Eighty one percent of the samples showed ≤30CFU of CHMB/g honey and only seven samples had between 50 and 54.25CFU/g. Thirty six honey samples were obtained from drums: in 25 samples (69.4%) CHMB counts were less than ≤30CFU/g of honey; in 20 samples (55.5%) the values of MY were between 10 and 50CFU/g honey and total coliforms were only detected in 20 samples. Fecal coliforms, spores of clostridia as well as Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp were not detected and less than 50 spores of Bacillus spp. per g were observed in the honey from drums. Therefore, the microbiological honey quality within the honey houses did not show any sanitary risks. Our results were reported to honey house owners to help them understand the need to reinforce proper honey handling and sanitation practices.

Analysis of bacteria associated with honeys of different geographical and botanical origin using two different identification approaches: MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rDNA PCR technique

“…The secondary sources are those arising from the honey manipulation by people, thus are closely connected with hygiene of processing, handling, and storage [11]. Such sources includes skin, mouth, and nose of food handlers, equipment, buildings as well as cross-contamination during harvest and processing in honey houses, however, they can be easy control by the application of good manufacturing practices [14],[15]. Microorganisms found in honey must demonstrate the ability to withstand the concentrated sugar, acidity and other severe conditions, thus in most cases they are present in latent forms (dormant) such as spores [4].…”

Cluster Analysis Classification of Honey from Two Different Climatic Zones Based on Selected Physicochemical and of Microbiological Parameters

“…Moreover, most of the Polish honey samples contained up to 20% of water, which is in line with EU Directive [21]. This limit was exceeded in four Polish samples (P1, P3, P8 and P16) and in the thirteen samples of Thai honeys, which indicates the unripe of Thai honeys [17,21,27].…”

“…Piana et al, 1991 reported yeast growth only in honey samples with a water activity < 0.65 [38]. The presence of yeasts and molds is also often caused by cross-contamination from product handling equipment [17].…”

Assessment of the Microbiological Profile, Species Diversity and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Recovered Bacteria from Retail Honeys in Turkey

“…This demonstrated that the microbial quality of extracted honey is relatively lower than that of comb honey. In a study that analyzed honey samples from different points of a honey processing unit was reported that postharvest extracted honey contained increased numbers of TMAB, yeasts and molds, and that coliform bacteria, was not detected in comb honey (Fernandez et al, 2017). In their study on the comparison of the cold and hot extraction methods used to obtain extracted honey from comb honey, Gallez and Fernández (2009) determined that the microbial contamination of extracted honey occurred with the use of both methods and the cold extraction method posed a greater risk of contamination than the hot extraction method.…”