A diagnosis of the microbiological quality of dehydrated bee-pollen produced in Brazil

UNLABELLED: Bee-pollen is an apicultural product with potential for medical and nutritional applications; therefore, its microbiology quality should be monitored. In this context, the objective of this study was to diagnose the microbiological quality of 45 dehydrated bee-pollen samples collected from November 2011 to December 2013 in nine Brazilian States. All the samples were negative for sulphite-reducing Clostridium spores, Salmonella, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus and Escherichia coli, which are micro-organisms of public health concern. Total aerobic mesophilic micro-organism counts ranged from <10 to 1·10 × 10(4) CFU g(-1) , with psychrotroph counts ranging from <10 to 1·12 × 10(3) CFU g(-1) and total coliforms from <10 to 2·80 × 10(3) CFU g(-1) , while the values for yeasts and moulds were between <10 to 7·67 × 10(3) CFU g(-1) . According to the literature, the microbiota observed in this study were typical; however, it is important to consider that these micro-organisms may cause spoilage and diminish shelf life, reason by which quality control programs should be implemented. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Contamination of bee-pollen can occur during production, collection and processing, but there are few studies of the microbiological quality of this product. Brazil is an important producer of dehydrated bee-pollen, therefore, a diagnosis of the microbiological status is important to ensure the safety of many consumers. Salmonella sp., genus Clostridium, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli and even some yeast species are micro-organisms of public health concern and their presence must be monitored. Furthermore, the determination of spoilage micro-organisms indicates whether the production and the processing practices carried out by beekeepers and warehouses were adequate.