The article presents data on changes in the protein content of bee pollen due to different storage methods. In May, during the collection of bee pollen by bee colonies, in the conditions of the farm ...located in the Stryi district of the Lviv region, more than 30 types of flower pollen entered the nest. At the same time, for species identification, acetolysis of seven types of flower pollen was carried out, which differed in the maximum amount of arrival: apple (Malus), dandelion (Taráxacum), winter rape (Brassica napus), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), clover (Trifolium pratense), chestnut (Castánea) and raspberry (Rúbus idáeus). To study the nitrogen content according to the Kjeldahl method, all pollen was divided into three groups according to the storage method. Bee pollen of the first group was considered fresh. In it, the nitrogen content was determined immediately after determining the species. Calculations showed the maximum crude protein content in this group. Of all types of bee pollen that were determined to be fresh, the maximum amount of protein was found in bee pollen collected during the flowering of winter rape (Brassica napus) and apple (Malus). Its average content is 24.9 ± 2.09 and 23.4 ± 1.77 %, respectively. As a result of freezing at a temperature of 18 ºС and its storage for 8–12 months, the protein content practically did not change and decreased by only 0.3–0.9 %. A slight tendency to decrease the amount of nitrogen in bee honey was also found when stored in a dried state. Bee pollen, stored for 8–12 months under different conditions, was fed to newborn honey bees and kept in entomological boxes. It was found that bee pollen storage conditions affect honey bees' food consumption rate. The minor attractiveness of the feed was found in the dried bee pollen. The absence of a connection between the content of crude protein in feed and the rate of its consumption by bees was investigated.
Honeybees produce honey, royal jelly, propolis, bee venom, bee pollen, and beeswax, which potentially benefit to humans due to the bioactives in them. Clinical standardization of these products is ...hindered by chemical variability depending on honeybee and botanical sources, but different molecules have been isolated and pharmacologically characterized. Major honey bioactives include phenolics, methylglyoxal, royal jelly proteins (MRJPs), and oligosaccharides. In royal jelly there are antimicrobial jelleins and royalisin peptides, MRJPs, and hydroxy-decenoic acid derivatives, notably 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, neuromodulatory, metabolic syndrome preventing, and anti-aging activities. Propolis contains caffeic acid phenethyl ester and artepillin C, specific of Brazilian propolis, with antiviral, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. Bee venom consists of toxic peptides like pain-inducing melittin, SK channel blocking apamin, and allergenic phospholipase A2. Bee pollen is vitaminic, contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant phenolics, as well as antiatherosclerotic, antidiabetic, and hypoglycemic flavonoids, unsaturated fatty acids, and sterols. Beeswax is widely used in cosmetics and makeup. Given the importance of drug discovery from natural sources, this review is aimed at providing an exhaustive screening of the bioactive compounds detected in honeybee products and of their curative or adverse biological effects.
Beside honey, honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) are able to produce many byproducts, including bee pollen, propolis, bee bread, royal jelly, and beeswax. Even if the medicinal properties of these ...byproducts have been recognized for thousands of years by the ancient civilizations, in the modern era, they have a limited use, essentially as nutritional supplements or health products. However, these natural products are excellent sources of bioactive compounds, macro- and micronutrients, that, in a synergistic way, confer multiple biological activities to these byproducts, such as, for example, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. This work aims to update the chemical and phytochemical composition of bee pollen, propolis, bee bread, royal jelly, and beeswax and to summarize the main effects exerted by these byproducts on human health, from the anticancer and immune-modulatory activities to the antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, hypotensive, and anti-allergic properties.
The food industry today is returning to natural foods after emphasizing the processed products due to the higher consumer demand for foods which are well recognized by healthy nutrients. Bee pollen ...is known as a natural super food due to its indispensable nutritional and medicinal properties. However, the physico-chemical and nutritional properties of bee pollen are ambiguous which vary greatly due to the difference of botanical and geographical origin.
The current study, therefore, presents an updated overview by critically reviewing the literature for chemical constituents (sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, and phenolic compounds) of bee pollen since 2009 from more than 20 nations of the world. The functional properties of different plant-derived bee pollen and their food applications are also discussed for the first time.
As per the systematic review of above 100 studies, the bee pollen contains average 54.22% (18.50–84.25%) carbohydrates, 21.30% (4.50–40.70%) proteins, 5.31% (0.41–13.50%) lipids, 8.75% (0.15–31.26%) fibre, 2.91% (0.50–7.75%) ash, 13.41 g/100 g (2.77–28.49 g/100 g) glucose, 15.36 g/100 g (4.9–33.48 g/100 g) fructose, 4.25 g/100 g (0.05–9.02 g/100 g) sucrose, 4951.61 mg/kg (3.06–13366.60 mg/kg) potassium, 4157.86 mg/kg (234.40–9587.00 mg/kg) phosphorus, 1751.22 mg/kg (1.09–5752.19 mg/kg) calcium, 1246.99 mg/kg (44.00–4680.53 mg/kg) magnesium, 46.97 mg/kg (0.10–105.80 mg/kg) zinc, 197.41 mg/kg (2.60–1180.00 mg/kg) iron, and 30.59 mg GAE/g (0.69–213.20 mg GAE/g) total phenolic content. Bee pollen, based on its functional properties can be recommended as a natural food ingredient in several processed food products. Further, the present paper strongly focuses to investigate the mono-floral bee pollen from different geographical regions and related safety issues to establish the global pollen quality and safety standards in coming years.
•Physicochemical and functional properties of bee pollen from varying sources are summarized.•Bee pollen has average 54.22% carbohydrates, 21.30% proteins, 5.31% lipids and 2.91% ash content.•Functional properties are reviewed as key elements for valorization of bee pollen.•Investigating the mono-floral bee pollen from diverse botanical and geographical origin is proposed.•The need of harmonized global standards for bee pollen safety is also addressed.
Pollen grains are located on the anthers of the flowers, bees collect them and mix them with secretions from their salivary glands and nectar and carry them to the hives in the baskets situated on ...their hind legs. According to the chemical composition, bee pollen is a mixture of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and other useful substances for the development of bees in the hive. Due to its nutritional value and potential healthful properties, it is valuable product for beekeeper’s income. The aim of this research was to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of bee pollen in relation to the period of collection and geographical origin from different localities in Virovitica-Podravina County. Eleven bee pollen samples were collected from stationary apiaries in the period of April and May 2022.Palynological analysis showed that dominated pollen in five samples was pollen from Brassica sp.; Malus spp. and Salix spp. pollen dominate in two bee pollen samples while two samples had dominating pollen coming from Asteraceae family. Physicochemical analysis showed that pollen collected in the period of April had a lower proportion of ash, total fat and phenols, but a higher proportion of moisture content, proteins and carbohydrates.
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•Comprehensive nutrients profiling of bee pollen with various botanical and geographic origins were reviewed.•Active natural plant metabolites from bee pollen and their in vivo ...metabolic pathways were summarized.•The nutritional values of bee pollen and its potential bioactivities for human health were updated.•The safety of bee pollen as a food supplement was highlighted.
Bee pollen is a mixture of plant pollen pellet with nectar and honeybee secretions. Due to its active natural metabolites with extensive nutritional and therapeutic properties, it is recommended as a treasure trove of human nutrition. The nutritional components in bee pollen include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and a small percentage of other components. Previous studies demonstrated that bee pollen exhibit antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antiallergic properties. This comprehensive review focused on the nutritional properties and potentially active phytometabolites (polyphenolic acids and flavonoids) of bee pollen and its therapeutic health benefits. We also covered the food safety and guidelines for the consumption with future industrial challenges of bee pollen.
Heavy metals are a major source of environmental pollution, and have a significant impact on ecological quality of the environment. The human activity affects the environment so there is a high risk ...of metal accumulation. Heavy metals contaminate not only the environment but accumulate in the human body, from which it is difficult to degrade them. The long tradition of beekeeping in the world is proof that bees are irreplaceable and important pollinators of plants and crops, which are necessary to maintain the prosperity of agriculture. Beekeeping up to the present is still popular and is ecologically and economically significant. The aim of this study was to determine total mercury content in the body of bees and their products (bee pollen, honey) of selected locations in eastern Slovakia, evaluation of obtained results according to current standards and compared to the values established by the Food Codex of the Slovak Republic and The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), according to which mercury is a metal that is released into the environment from both natural sources and as a result of human activity. The mercury element can occur as inorganic mercury (mercurous (Hg22+) and mercuric (Hg2+) cations), and organic mercury. Methylmercury (MeHg) is by far the most common form of organic mercury in the food chain. The tested bees and their products were collected from apiaries located in the area of the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice and the apiary in Rozhanovce. The evaluation of the impact of environmental contamination by hazardous substances is very important regards to the protection of bees and not least to protect the health of people as consumers of food products containing residues of industrial production.
Naibaho NM, Salusu HD, Rudito, Saragih B, Kusuma IW, Fatriasari W, Arung ET. 2023. Sensory evaluation and antibacterial activity of bee pollen extracts isolated from several stingless bees in two ...drying methods. Biodiversitas 24: 2682-2688. This study aims to determine six stingless bee pollen extracts' sensory characteristics and antibacterial activity. The samples were dried using a chiller method at 4°C (14-22 days) and a 40°C oven (8-10 days). The sensory qualities of color, scent, taste, texture, and the antibacterial activity of six stingless bees were assessed while the bee pollen was drying. It was revealed for the first time that six bee pollen products from East Kalimantan had characteristics that were very close to what consumers preferred. The findings demonstrated that, compared to a 40°C oven, the 4°C chiller approach offered superior sensory value and antibacterial activity. Bee pollen Tetragonula reepeni (Friese, 1918) received the highest sensory score using the 4°C chiller method, scoring 4.81 (very like) for color and 3.71 (like) for taste. Bee pollen Tetragonula fuscobalteata (Cameron, 1908) received a score of 3.47 (like) for aroma, while the highest texture value was obtained by bee pollen Heterotrigona itama (Cockerell, 1918), scoring 4.19 (like very much). Bee pollen H. itama had the greatest sensory scores when using the 40°C oven method, scoring 3.58 (like), 3.22 (like), and 3.54 (like) for color, scent, and taste, and 3.69 (like) for texture. The antibacterial activity of the bee pollen extracts T. reepeni and Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith, 1854) achieved higher inhibition zone values when using the 4°C chiller method and 40°C oven method, with values ??of 15 mm, 16.00 mm, 14.33 mm, and 13.26 mm, respectively, for the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes NN657. The lowest Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) for antibacterial activity was 125 µL/mL for Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25932, Staphylococcus epidermis NN349, Propionibacterium acnes NN357 and Escherichia coli ATCC 8742 of 250 µL/mL. Comparing the organoleptic characteristics of bee pollen, the chiller method at 4°C for 14 days retained quality attributes better than the bee pollen oven-drying method at 40°C.
•Chemical composition of fermented bee pollen was globally analyzed.•Fermentation led to 668 differential metabolites in bee pollen.•Fermentation significantly changed the primary and secondary ...metabolites.•Fermentation transformed polyphenol glycosides to aglycones.•Fermentation increased the types and contents of phenolamides.
Microbial fermentation can break the bee pollen wall. However, the global profiling of bee pollen metabolites under fermentation remains unclear. This study aims to comprehensively elucidate the changes in the composition of bee pollen after microbial fermentation. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electron spray ionization-mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS) based on widely targeted metabolomics analysis was used to compare the chemical composition of unfermented bee pollen (UBP) and fermented bee pollen (FBP). Among the 890 metabolites detected, a total of 668 differential metabolites (classified into 17 categories) were identified between UBP and FBP. Fermentation significantly increased the contents of primary metabolites such as 74 amino acids and derivatives, 42 polyunsaturated fatty acids and 66 organic acids, as well as some secondary metabolites such as 38 phenolic acids, 80 flavone aglycones and 22 phenolamides. The results indicate that fermentation is a promising strategy to improve the nutritional value of bee pollen.
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