Qualidade microbiológica do mel de tiúba (Melipona fasciculata, SMITH) produzido na microrregião da baixada maranhense no estado do Maranhão

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate honey samples, verifying the microbiological quality for the presence of coliforms at 35°C and coliforms at 45°C, molds and yeasts, aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Salmonella, in addition to verifying the moisture content of tiúba honeys from the Baixada Maranhense region in the State of Maranhão. For this purpose, the methodology described in the Manual of Official Analytical Methods for Microbiological Analysis for Control of Products of Animal Origin and Water was adopted and the results were analyzed according to Normative Instruction No. 11, of October 20, 2000, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Supply, and for moisture analysis, the methodology described by the Adolfo Lutz Institute (2008). No microbiological contaminants from the group of Coliforms, Molds and Yeasts and Salmonella sp. were detected. However, 16% of the samples had a high count of mesophilic aerobic bacteria. Moisture levels ranged from 19 to 21.43% in the samples and the soluble solids content ranged from 70 to 80.62%. Spearman's correlation test showed that there was no relationship between water content and mesophilic aerobic bacteria. The Chi-square test for independence was 2 = 2.102, showing that there was no association between the variables and collection methods. Microbiological analyses of honey from the Baixada Maranhense microregion showed that 84% of the samples were free of contamination, with the exception of 8 samples (16%) that presented mesophilic aerobic bacteria counts above the recommended level