SCREENING THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND PROBIOTIC POTENTIAL OF THE INNATE MICROFLORA OF WILD HONEYSHAM SAIT, S., LOK KIRUBAKAR, S., HARISMA, B.R., JENIFER ANNIS CHRISTY, J. AND MURUGAPPAN, RM.Abstract Honey, one of the natureâs wonders is in limelight in the recent years for its therapeutic potential. The quality of honey is determined by its nutraceutical, chemical, physical and microbiological characteristics. In addition to physico-chemical characteristics the present study was aimed to evaluate the probiotic potential of innate microflora of the wild honey collected from the foot hills near Madurai. The quality of honey was reported to vary based on the botanical origins, handling, transportation and storage conditions. Honey extracted from the beehives was found to be acidic (pH 3.79) with moderate moisture (18.6%), low hydroxy methyl furfural (HMF) level (6.56 mg/kg) and ash content (0.46%). Assessment of nutraceutical, microbiological and physico-chemical parameters contribute to the elaboration of standards for quality control and promote the usage of wild honey for medicinal purpose. Two different bacteria were isolated from the honey samples and they were identified as Bacillus and Pseudomonas. It can be inferred that the acidic and high sugar content reduce the occurrence of bacteria in the honey. Both isolates exhibited probiotic properties such as tolerance to acid, bile salt, gastric juice, auto-aggregation potential, antibiotic resistance and the absence of haemolytic activity. |