Biopreservative compounds and probiotics for food and health: prospection of the microbiota of honey from stingless bees during the fermentation process

Abstract

Sustainable food production depends largely on pollinating insects, with stingless bees (ASF) being protagonists in this process, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. In addition to this unquestionable importance, ASFs can produce honeys with highly appreciated sensory characteristics, and with biotechnological properties that can benefit human and animal health, attributes due in part to their rich, but still little-known, microbiota. In this project, it is proposed to study stingless bee honey regarding its culturable and non-culturable microbial diversity during the fermentation process. The isolates obtained will be screened for antimicrobial activity (bacteriocins) and also phenotypically for the regulatory mechanism of Quorum Sensing, using a classic bioluminescence assay. The probiotic potential of the isolates will also be investigated, using the zebrafish model as a simple and high-yield New Alternative Method. Additionally, exploratory research on bacteriophages will also be carried out using the phenotypic method, given the growing importance of these viral particles as platforms for technological innovations and the novelty of their search in ASF honey samples. The results to be achieved may indicate the complex relationships of this microbiota, with potential to contribute to the advancement of food legislation, management techniques in meliponiculture, in addition to allowing us to envision applications to combat current problems of antimicrobial resistance and improve health. (AU)