Honey from Different Species of Stingless Bees (Apidae: Meliponini) is Effective Against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria

Stingless bee honey is a natural product consisting of sugars, organic acids, proteins, minerals, vitamins, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. Due to its healing properties, honey is often used in phytotherapy and for homemade syrups. The search for natural therapeutic alternatives has been an increasing trend in recent years, mainly due to the side effects of artificial drugs and increasing antibiotic resistance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize physicochemical properties and the antimicrobial activity of honey from different species of stingless bees against the pathogenicity of the bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). Honey samples from 15 different species of stingless bees from different regions of Brazil were used, and the analysis was performed by the broth microdilution method. We found a large variation in the physicochemical features among all the samples and no correlation to the MIC or MBC. It was also found that honey produced by Melipona rufiventris and Scaptotrigona tubiba were the most effective in combating pathogenic microorganisms due to its high antimicrobial activity, comparable to the results found for propolis. These data are important for the development of new strategies for the prevention and control of diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms.