Antimicrobial Effect of Honeys Collected in Bingol Region

Abstract

In this research, the antimicrobial effects of honeys collected from Genç, Kiğı, Sancak, and Yedisu districts of Bingöl province were investigated by disc diffusion method. The antimicrobial effects of honey samples prepared at three different concentrations (500, 250, and 125 mg mL^-1) were tested using Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Listeria monocytogenes NCTC 5348 bacteria as Gram positive (+), Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 bacterium as Gram negative (-), Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 76521 as yeast, and Candida albicans ATCC 90028 as fungus (mold). In addition, Ampicillin/Sulbactam (SAM) (20 µg/disc) was used as an antibiotic to better evaluate the antimicrobial effects of honeys in this research. The antimicrobial effect of Ampicillin/Sulbactam (SAM) (20 µg disc^-1) against the microorganisms used in honey samples was also tested with the same method.As a result; while the 500 and 250 mg mL^-1 concentrations among honey samples prepared at three different concentrations (500, 250, and 125 mg mL^-1) have an antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus, the antibacterial effect of the concentrations of 125 mg mL^-1 against Staphylococcus aureus was not detected. All honey samples at three different concentrations showed no antibacterial effect against Listeria monocytogenes. While only the 500 mg mL^-1 concentrations from different concentrations of Genç and Yedisu honey samples were found to have an antibacterial effect against Escherichia coli, the antibacterial effects of Kiğı and Sancak honey samples prepared at different concentrations against Escherichia coli were not detected. It was determined that only 500 mg mL^-1 concentrations from all honey samples had an antimicrobial effect against Saccharomyces cerevisiae, while the other 250 and 125 mg mL^-1concentrations did not have an antimicrobial effect against Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The studied concentrations of all honey samples did not show an antifungal effect against Candida albicans. Moreover, Ampicillin/Sulbactam (SAM) (20 µg disc^-1) was found to have a high antimicrobial effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes (Gram-positive bacteria), Escherichia coli (Gram-negative bacteria), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast), and Candida albicans (fungus) microorganisms.