Microbiological Qualities of Imported and Locally Produced Honey in Saudi Arabia PDF

Keywords

Saudi Arabia, honey, bacteria, microbiological analysis

Abstract

Forty-eight samples of imported and locally produced honey marketed in Saudi Arabia were collected and subjected to microbiological analysis. Selected parameters adopted were standard plate count (SPC), anaerobic count using cooked meat medium (CMM) and reinforced clostridial medium (RCM), yeast and mould count, lactic acid bacteria on MRS and M17 media, coliform count and faecal streptococci count. Results were reported as log 10 cfu g^-1 for both types of honey samples studied. Overall results revealed that locally produced honey significantly surpassed (alpha=0.05) imported honey in most tested parameters. In addition, 100 bacterial isolates were isolated, purified and identified from samples of both locally produced and imported honey. Bacillus subtilis, B. larvae, B. licheniformis; Micrococcus luteus, M. variance; Staphylococcus albus; Lactobacillus plantarum, L. fermentum, L. helveticus; Enterococcus faecium; Lactococcus lactis; Streptococcus thermophilus; Clostridium perfringens and Cl. difficile were recognized using the API system.