Microbiological and parasitological quality of honey produced in Istanbul

Abstract

In this study, 500 honey samples (with combs) were collected directly from the hives in various parts of Istanbul. The presence and the interactions of different microbiological and parasitological parameters (coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Ascosphaera apis, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Paenibacillus larvae, Melissococcus pluton, and Nosema spp.) were investigated. According to the results, 80 samples (16%) tested positive for coliforms, 18 samples (3.6%) for E. coli, 67 samples (13.4%) for S. aureus, 51 samples (10.2%) for A. apis, 22 samples (4.4%) for A. flavus, 32 samples (6.4%) for A. fumigatus, 16 samples (3.2%) for P. larvae, 29 samples (5.8%) for M. pluton, and 39 samples (7.8%) for Nosema spp. The results showed that there were significant correlations among all the binary relationships of microbiological parameters (coliforms, E. coli, S. aureus, P. larvae, and M. pluton), while no interactions were detected among the parasitological parameters (A. apis, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, and Nosema spp.). Additionally, no significant relations were determined between parasitological and microbiological parameters.