Microbiological Quality of Polish Artisanal Varietal Honeys

Abstract

On the basis of routine microbiological tests and selected physicochemical parameters, the quality and food safety of Polish varietal honeys were evaluated. The study included 21 honey samples from 5 varieties (multifloral, honeydew, rapeseed, buckwheat and linden), in which the moisture and extract content, water activity, pH and free acids were determined, and the colony count, the presumptive Bacillus spp., the total fungal count and the presence of anaerobic spore-forming bacilli were examined. More than half (52%, 11/21) of the analyzed honeys contained fewer microorganisms than 10 cfu/g, and in the remaining samples, their numbers ranged from 5 × 101 cfu/g to 4.5 × 102 cfu/g. In all the honeys, the number of presumptive Bacillus spp. in 1 g was less than 10 cfu. In 81% (17/21) of the samples, the total count of fungi in 1 g of honey was less than 10 cfu, and the most contaminated was buckwheat honey (3 samples). The anaerobic spore-forming bacteria was detected in 0.1 g only in one sample of buckwheat honey. The values of the physicochemical parameters did not exceed the accepted limits, which indicated that the honey environment was unfavourable for the development of the tested microbial profile.

Honey microbiota, methods for determining the microbiological composition and the antimicrobial effect of honey – A review

“…Regular microbiological tests for hygienic indicator microorganism groups can be used to assess the microbiological quality of honey, such as fungus number, microbe total number, anaerobic spore-forming bacilli, and the number of Bacillus spp. ( Kędzierska-Matysek et al, 2023 ). EU legislation (Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15th of November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs) has no specifications on microbiological contamination and on honeybee hygiene.…”