TITLE:
Anti-Microbial and Physico-Chemical Properties of Processed and Raw Honeys of Mauritius
AUTHORS:
Mohammad Shafiiq Kinoo, Mohamad Fawzi Mahomoodally, Daneshwar Puchooa
KEYWORDS:
Honey; Antimicrobial; Minimum Inhibitory Concentration; Physicochemical; Antibacterial; Antifungal
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Infectious Diseases,
Vol.2 No.2,
June
20,
2012
ABSTRACT: Among the panoply of food products used in treatment of various ailments, honey has been used since prehistoric times as an effective antimicrobial therapy. Being first of its kind, honeys with specific botanical origin from Mauritius were examined. In this study, three commercially processed-enhanced v/s three unprocessed honeys were evaluated for possible antimicrobial activities against clinical bacterial (Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeroguinosa (ATCC 27853)) and fungal (Aspergillus niger (ATCC 16404) and Candida albicans (ATCC 10231)) isolates in vitro. Research findings showed that the respective physicochemical parameters of the samples ranged from; pH: 3.28 - 4.67, H2O: 17.63% - 24.87%, reducing sugar 42.95 - 60.31 g/100g, density 1.11 - 1.55 g/ml and viscosity: 1.85 - 26.24 Pa·s at 20°C. Physicochemical parameters of different honeys were observed to vary significantly with respect to their floral origin (P P