Antimicrobial Activity Of Honey On Some Foodborne Microorganisms

ABSTRACT

 The medicinal potentials of three honey samples from three geographical zones were evaluated by assessing their antimicrobial properties. The microorganism tested include Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli and Aspergillus niger. The invitro antibacterial activity was performed by agar disc diffusion and paper -- disc diffusion methods. The results showed that the honey samples had good antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E.coli and Strep pyogenes with inhibition zone diameter ranging from 20.00 - 21.66mm for Ebonyi Honey and 12.00- 19.33mm for New Market Honey. The research honey sample had the lowest inhibition zone diameters for the organisms ranging from!3.33 - 20.00mm. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the honey samples against the tested organisms were found in the range of 6.25 - 7.5%, the identified photochemicals revealed the presence of the phenolic compounds, tannins, glycosides, flavonoids and saponins that may be responsible for the observed bioactivities.