Microbiological analysis of honey from different apiaries in the southwest and north-central parts of nigeria

Honey is the most important and primary product of beekeeping from an economic point of view. The global use of honey is on the increase partly because of the recent craving for natural products. Previous research has shown that microbial presence in honey is not unusual. The microbial analysis of honey obtained from 5 apiaries revealed the presence of bacteria and fungi. The bacterial and fungi load was within the range of 15-20 x 104 cfu/g and 3-4 x 104cfu/g respectively. The bacterial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli while the fungi were determined to be Rhizopus spp, Aspergillus niger and Mucor sp. The values obtained show a bacterial count that is markedly elevated than the acceptable limits. This indicates that certain apiaries lack proper sanitary practices during collection and packaging resulting in honey that is not safe for consumption.