Samples of honey produced by stingless bees M. flavolineata (urucu-amarela) from Belém of Pará were analyzed for their microbiological and physico-chemical characteristics whit the objective to evaluate the effects of natural fermentation on the physicochemical characteristics of honey over time. The samples were collected from 5 different pots of honey arranged in five rational boxes in the following times: 7, 14, 21, 31, 35 and 45 days. The samples were collected through disposable pipettes and transferred to 50mL sterilized plastic containers. After collect of samples, they were kept under refrigeration until the time of the tests. The physical-chemical and microbiological analyzes were: acidity, pH, sugars, soluble solids, humiduty, water activity and total polyphenols, coliforms, molds and yeasts, and bacterial counts. The fermentation of honey was evidenced by the decrease of the total sugars and by the high humidity content. The total acidity increased over the 45 days and consequently the pH decreased. The water activity didn’t suffer significant variations over time. It was noted a small increase in soluble solids over time, as well as an increase in total polyphenols. All the samples showed negative results for coliforms. The results of the analyzes of mold and yeast and standard bacterial counts showed a tendency to decrease in the last analyzes of the samples. The natural fermentation in honey of M. flavolineata can add substances that are beneficial and important to honey.
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