Caracterização microbiológica de amostras de pólen e mel submetidos a beneficiamento oriundos da região do litoral norte alagoano

Abstract

The Northeast region stands out in terms of honey quality, recognized internationally, in addition to its gigantic growth potential. Beekeeping in Alagoas represents an activity of high economic importance, due to its great potential for the production of honey, pollen and red propolis, with a great diversity of vegetation and flowers, good climatic conditions and an increasing number of beekeepers, employment and income for thousands of families across the state. The northern coastal region of the State of Alagoas has great potential for the production of mangrove honey and bee pollen from palm trees, which are extremely valued in the world. There is a concern regarding the quality and food safety of products of animal origin, therefore, the objective was to analyze the microbiological growth profile in samples of processed honey from Alagoas mangroves and dehydrated pollen from coastal palm trees. The microbiological contamination present in honey and pollen samples was evaluated and filamentous fungi and yeasts, mesophilic aerobic bacteria, psychotrophic aerobic bacteria, total coliforms and thermotolerant coliforms (Escherichia coli), presence of Clostridium spores and Salmonella spp. were quantified. Checking the pollen and honey revealed the count of bacteria from the total and thermotolerant coliform group (< 3.0 MPN), mesophilic and psychotrophic bacteria (< 1.0 x 10 CFU), as well as the count of molds and yeasts, Clostridium, Salmonella and E. coli were not present in both products. Samples of processed honey from Alagoas mangroves and dehydrated pollen from coastal palm trees obtained excellent results in terms of microbiological quality standards, being ready to be sold to the public.