Antibacterial activity of Turkmenistan Mei Honey against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in comparison with Indonesian wild forest honey

Honey is a powerful antibacterial agent with multiple effects. Nowadays, the antibacterial properties of honey are attractive because of the large number of bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics, this value makes honey higherin demand by consumers. Various components contribute to the antibacterial properties of honey: sugar content; polyphenolic compounds; hydrogen peroxide; peptides, defensive bee-1, and nonperoxidase glycopeptides. All ofthese elements are present at different concentrations depending on the nectar source, type of bee, and storage. These components work synergistically, enabling honey to be potent against a wide range of microorganisms including multidrug-resistant bacteria and modulating their resistance to antimicrobial agents. The effectiveness and potency of honey against microorganisms depends on the type of honey produced, which depends on the botanical origin, the health of the bees, theregion of origin, and the method of processing. In this study, we compared Turkmenistan Mei honey and Indonesian raw honey initially tested/analyzed honey quality which included acidity, refractive index, moisture content, viscosity and specific gravity. Agar well diffusion assay test was used to compare the antibacterial activity of the two honeys against S. aureus and E. coli. Both honey showed antibacterial activity. The value of antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus showed no significant difference between Mei Honey and Wild Forest Honey.