Microbial Biodiversity in Honey and Pollen Pots Produced by Tetragonisca angustula (Jataí)

Abstract

The combination of nutritional and chemical factors in honey and pollen produced by Tetragonisca angustula (jataí) reveals a unique ecosystem that is conducive to developing microorganisms. However, there is a lack of information regarding the microbial species grown in the nest pots of this stingless bee species. The objectives of this study were to count, isolate and identify the microbiota associated with the pots of honey and pollen. The samples were collected from three jataí beehives. Microbiological analyses showed that the average total aerobic mesophiles ranged between 3.78 and 3.71 log CFU/g; lactic bacteria were 3.59 and 3.56 log CFU/g; and the yeast was 4.41 and 4.66 log CFU/g for the honey and pollen, respectively. There were four gram-positive cocci bacteria (Staphylococcus saprophyticus subsp. bovis, S. vitulinus, S. kloosii and S. pasteuri); two spore-forming gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus pumilus and B. thuringiensis); and one gram-negative bacteria (Pantoe agglomerans). One lactic bacteria (Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides) was also identified. Three yeast species were isolated (Starmerella meliponinorum, Candida magnoliae and Zygosaccharomyces bailli). Bacillus was the main bacteria in jataí honey and pollen. Z. bailli was the dominant yeast in the pollen, and S. meliponinorum was the dominant yeast in the honey. T. angustula bees and their products (honey and pollen) are ecosystems that provide sustainable environmental HIGHLIGHTS• Eight species of bacteria and three yeasts were identified in T. angustula products.• Bacillus was the main bacteria present in pots of stingless bee honey and pollen.• S. meliponinorum was the main yeast found in jataí honey, and Z. bailli in jataí pollen.• Symbiotic relationship between microorganisms and honey and pollen pots

Maturation of honey from Uruçú-Amarela (Melipona mondury): Metagenomics, metabolomics by NMR 1H, physicochemical and antioxidant properties

“…These authors also reported that the phylum Proteobacteria was the second most abundant, with a predominance of the genus Enterobacter , as we observed in Uruçu-Amarela honey, which demonstrates a high occurrence of these bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract of stingless bees in honey, regardless of the species and region where the honey was produced. Beux et al (2022) also reported a predominance of Bacillus sp. in Tetragonisca angustula (Jataí) honey, produced in Curitiba, Brazil.…”

“…The region affects the biodiversity of yeasts in honey produced by the same species of stingless bee, since the presence of Zygosaccharomyces mellis was identified in the honey of other species of stingless bee produced in the same region. Beux et al (2022) identified the presence of the osmophilic yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailli in the honey of T. angustula from Brazil, in addition to yeasts of the genus Starmerella and Candida .…”

Antioxidant and anti-Alzheimer's potential of Tetragonisca angustula (Jataí) stingless bee pollen

“…Unlike honeybees, stingless bees store pollen in cerumen pots, where it undergoes fermentation due to microorganism presence 42 . The biochemical traits of pollen vary depending on the local flora of collection, potentially influenced by fermentative microorganism action.…”

Insularity and its impact on stingless bee honey properties: A case study in the Zanzibar Archipelago (Tanzania)

“…7,16 Characterizing the presence, variability and origin of stingless bee honey bioactivity is challenging, primarily due to the many potential drivers affecting its compositional variation, from the botanical and geographical origin 17,18 to species-specific compositional profile [19][20][21] and variation in the microbiome within the colony. [22][23][24] Today, stingless bee honey has been mostly characterized at the regional 25,26 or Pierre Noiset and Kiatoko Nkoba are joint first authors.…”