1. Yeast biodiversity in honey produced by stingless bees raised in the highlands of southern Brazil
- Author
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Luciano Foresti, Ronaldo Kauê Mattos Rocha, Jennifer Pereira Moreira, Luisa Vivian Schwarz, Gabriela Priscila da Silva, Fernando Joel Scariot, Ana Paula Longaray Delamare, and Sergio Echeverrigaray
- Subjects
Stingless bee ,Starmerella ,Population ,Zygosaccharomyces ,Microbiology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Yeast, Dried ,Yeasts ,Botany ,Animals ,Melipona ,education ,Sugar ,030304 developmental biology ,0303 health sciences ,education.field_of_study ,biology ,030306 microbiology ,fungi ,food and beverages ,Biodiversity ,Honey ,General Medicine ,Bees ,biology.organism_classification ,Yeast ,Plebeia ,Saccharomycetales ,behavior and behavior mechanisms ,Sugars ,Brazil ,Food Science - Abstract
The physicochemical characteristics and yeasts diversity in honey samples from 17 species of stingless bees of the genera Nannotrigona, Melipona, Plebeia, Scraptotrigona, and Tetragonisca cultivated in Southern Brazil were determined. The sugar content, moisture, water activity, pH, reducing sugars/total sugar ratio, and total yeast population varied significantly among the honey from the different bee species. The highest yeast population was found in the Plebeia's honey samples and correlated with their high water-activity. Sixteen yeast species were identified based on the nuclear large subunit (26S) ribosomal RNA partial sequences. The genera Starmerella and Zygosaccharomyces were found predominant, with a high prevalence of Starmerella sp., S. etchellsii, and S. apicola. Some yeast species were only identified in honey samples from specific bee species indicating a close relationship between the yeasts and the insects. For the first time, Wickerhamomyces sydowiorum in honey is being reported. In general, the yeast species isolated from stingless bee honey samples demonstrated high osmotolerance and low sugar assimilation.
- Published
- 2021
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