Antimicrobial Activity of Bee Bread Extracts Against Different Bacterial Strains

Abstract

Bee bread is a product of the hive obtained from pollen collected by bees, to which they add honey, digestive enzymes and subsequently is stored in the combs. Increasing evidence suggests bee bread’s potential therapeutic benefits, including antimicrobial properties. Bee bread is characterized by a bactericidal and bacteriostatic activity. The current study was carried out to test the antimicrobial activity of bee bread extracts, in various concentrations, against the bacterial strains: Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results of this study indicate that the first two dilutions of bee bread extract, respectively 33% and 16.66%, showed higher antimicrobial activity and the other dilutions had a lower, but visible activity depending on the pathogen on which they are tested. The best antimicrobial activity was manifested on the Staphylococcus aureus strain, where all dilutions had an inhibitory effect both at 8 hours and 12 hours.