Survey of lactic acid bacteria from honey bee Scaptotrigona depilis from the region of Ribeirão Preto-SP with physical-chemical characterization of the samples and search for antimicrobial activity

• Grant number: 22/16694-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: April 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Elaine Cristina Pereira de Martinis
• Grantee: Inaie Reinecke
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The honey from bees belonging to the subfamily Meliponinae presents a diversity of viruses, bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi, and this microbiota is attributed to its greater water activity. Furthermore, among the microorganisms present in this input, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) stand out, which exhibit scientifically proven biotechnological potential, with an impact on the food production industry due to their inhibitory activity on the growth of other bacteria, resulting from the expression of toxic metabolites for these.Therefore, stingless bee honey has bacteriostatic, antibiotic and proteolytic activity of relevance to the pharmaceutical industry, given the current scenario of irrational use of antibiotics, which allows pathogens to develop resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobials available on the market. It should be noted that different factors, such as the local flora, influence the microbial composition of this product. In this way, the present research aims to determine the presence of antagonist activity of the lactic acid bacteria in the honey of the species Scaptotrigona depilis, against Lactobacillus sakei ATCC 15521. Furthermore, it aims to characterize the LAB present in the sample, as well as their physical-chemistry properties. Thus, the project will contribute to the discovery of specific antagonist activity, which can be later used in the food or pharmaceutical industry for different purposes.