Associated bacterial microbiota of honey and related products from stingless bees as novel sources of bioactive compounds for biotechnological applications

Stingless bees (SB) are an almost untouched source of valuable bioactive compounds, with potential application in food, medicines, and health. The bioactive molecules from SB-related products come from the environment, from bees, and/or from the metabolism of symbiont microorganisms. For this review, a robust search for recent articles with information on the main bacterial groups associated with the health-balance state of SB was done. The keyword SB was associated with other search words (microbiota, microbiome, and names of key bacterial genera) related to SB. The main SB-related bacterial symbionts are presented, aiming to shed light on the range of possibilities for biotechnological application of these microbes, to stimulate future research aiming to make better use of these inestimable natural resources.