Preliminary Detection of Bacillus species in Commercial Honey

Aim: This research is aimed at detecting the presence of Bacillus species in honey using morphological characteristics, biochemical tests and preliminary molecular studies.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Medical Research Yaba Lagos, Nigeria. The study was carried out from June to July 2012.

Methodology: A total of 33 honey samples were used for this study, twenty- eight of the honey samples were of local origin while 5 were of international origin. Twenty-eight commercial honey samples were obtained from the six geographical regions in Nigeria from commercial retailers. The five foreign honey samples were obtained from the supermarkets namely: Friz fruit, Blossom, Forever, Aloe Vera and Rose honey, all of international origin. The honey samples were inoculated into sterile agar, blood and tryptone soy plates using the spread plate technique. Isolates obtained were purified and subjected to morphological tests, biochemical tests and further identification using polymerase chain reaction.

Results: All the honey samples had microbial growth in them, higher counts were observed in the commercial honeys from retailers than the foreign honey samples. Forty isolates suspected to be Bacillus from biochemical tests were subjected to PCR, 14 from the 40 were confirmed to be Bacillus spp.

Conclusion: Microorganisms in honey cannot be identified fully with morphological and biochemical examinations alone, but combine use of morphological, biochemical tests and PCR technique is more accurate and reliable method of identification.