Caracterização microbiológica de amostras de pólen e mel in natura oriundos da região do litoral norte alagoano

Abstract

Bee products resulting from the work of bees of the Apis mellifera species, such as honey, bee pollen and propolis, are valuable sources of food and medicine as well as a source of income for beekeepers. The northern coastal region of the State of Alagoas has great beekeeping potential, products such as 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 fresh bee pollen and fresh honey from the north coast of Alagoas. Microbiological contamination present in the 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. of honey and pollen. After analyzing the pollen and fresh honey samples, it was verified that there was no presence of clostridium, salmonella, the count of molds and yeasts as well as mesophilic and psychotrophic bacteria were (< 1.0 x 10 CFU), for the coliform group total and thermotolerant (< 3.0 MPN). The results showed that samples of fresh Alagoan honey from mangroves and pollen from coastal palm trees submitted to microbiological analyzes present an excellent quality standard and are suitable for processing and commercialization.