Resumo

Maintaining the original composition of honey consists of an extremely important point for the preservation of its nutritional value, chemical, physical and biological features. For being a product of high appreciation and easy of tampering, it becomes the target of inappropriate actions that come to depreciate its quality, being necessary to perform some analysis so that we can determine its quality and its hygienic-sanitary conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of twelve samples of honey bees marketed in the city of Maceió, from the formal and informal market. Studies were undertaken to detect and quantify the population indicators of microbiological contamination, for example, mesophilic aerobic bacteria, coliforms 35°C and coliforms 45°C, yeasts and molds and sulphite reducing clostridia. It was detected in 66.7% of the honey samples the presence of aerobic mesophilic bacteria and 33.3% were negative. The results ranged from 5,1x10^{-3 to 2,8x10-9 UFCg-1. For the analyzes of yeast and mold, 50% of the samples showed no or gave insignificant results and 50% had positive results, results ranged from 4,4x10-2 to 1,43x10-5 UFCg-1. In the analysis of sulphite reducing clostridia by meat broth medium (MBM), of the twelve honey samples analyzed, four samples were discarded by presenting negative results. The eight samples (66,7%), which had positive results with turbidity and proteolysis of meat, were passed onto Petri dishes containing AEY medium and aerobically and anaerobically incubated. Afterwards, microscopic slides of cultures were made and submitted to Gram staining, for the confirmation Gram positive bacilli. Fifth percent were negative and 50% were positive on Gram staining, for both cultures grown under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. All samples showed coliforms 35°C and only one showed no coliforms 45ºC contamination.}