Experimental evidence for the occurrence in honey of specific substances active against microorganisms

Numbers of micro-organisms in sewage, soil, air and tap-water counted on media containing honey were lower than those counted on the same media containing equivalent concentrations of the sugars known to occur in honey. Similar experiments achieved with specific micro-organisms showed that honey had more pronounced inhibitory effects than the equivalent sugar solutions on Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum, but not on Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These results are understood in view of the occurrence in honey of specific compounds active mainly against Gram negative bacteria and higher fungi.