PHYSICO-CHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF RAW HONEY OF STINGLESS BEE FARMED IN COASTAL AREAS IN KELANTAN AND TERENGGANU

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of three sources of stingless bee honey (Heterotrigona itama spp.) from different coastal areas in Kelantan and Terengganu. Antimicrobial tests were performed to determine the inhibition activity of stingless bee honey against food borne pathogens using agar well diffusion assay. Physico-chemical analyses of stingless bee honey were also determined. For proximate analysis, the results showed no significant differences (P>0.05) between stingless bee honey samples for pH and fat from different locations. However, significant differences (P<0.05) were obtained for moisture, ash, protein, carbohydrate and energy of the stingless bee honey samples. All three honey samples showed very good inhibitory activities (measured by inhibition zone) against Salmonella Typhimurium (25-33 mm), Escherichia coli (17-33 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15-25 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (25-29 mm). In conclusion, stingless bee honey has a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and future study will investigate potential probiotics of these strains in food preparation.