This work aimed to investigate the physicochemical and functional composition of bee pollen produced in different municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Norte/Brazil (RN) and commercial samples produced in other places. To perform these experiments, samples of dehydrated bee pollen were crushed and subjected to physicochemical evaluation, instrumental color, fatty acid profile, evaluation of the presence of bioactive compounds [Total Phenolic Compounds (TPC), carotenoids] and antioxidant activity (reduction of DPPH radical). The pH of the pollen samples varied from 4.55 to 5.08, the protein from 19.01% to 29.71%, and the ash from 2.44% to 4.27%. All pollen samples showed a yellowish-red hue (a* and b* positive), and the pollen produced in Touros/RN/BR stood out with a lighter color (L* = 32.91). The pollen produced in Touros/RN/BR showed a higher (p < 0.05) percentage of saturated fatty acids (41.60%), whereas the pollen collected in Taipu/RN/BR had a higher percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids (7.44%). Pollen samples showed a low concentration of Total Carotenoid Content (TCC) (0.81 to 22.82 µg/g), as well as a high content of TPC (1.79 to 2.28 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (1.40 to 5.70 µmol TE/g) when compared with the consulted literature. According to the obtained results, we could infer that pollen samples from different locations showed variations in physicochemical composition, coloration, fatty acid profile, TPC and antioxidant activity which reflects the geographic diversity inherent to the production sites.

The aims were to evaluate the effect of breed on the genetic polymorphism kappa-casein, physicochemical composition of milk and Coalho cheese, and on cheese yield; and to evaluate the effect of different periods of storage on sensorial acceptance of the Coalho cheese obtained from milk of Guzerat, Gyr and Sindi cows. Twenty (20) cows of Zebu breeds were selected, from which it was obtained the frequency values of the genetic polymorphism kappa-casein. Milk were submitted to fat, protein, lactose, non-fat solids and total solids, electrical conductivity analysis and somatic cell count. Cheeses were submitted to fat, protein, total solids, pH, moisture and yield (g TS/L) analysis. Attributes appearance, aroma, texture and flavor were judged at the 1st, 25th and 46th day of storage. There was a total frequency of 0.70 for genotype AA, 0.30 for genotype AB. There was no significant difference in milk composition among the studied breeds. However, there were differences in the physicochemical composition (with the exception of the protein) and the yield of the cheeses, but all the breeds showed a similar real yield. It was found effect of the storage period on the cheeses sensory attributes in the different breeds, with the exception of the appearance. The milk of the Guzerat, Gyr and Sindi breeds constitute an excellent raw material for the production of curd cheese and ensures a satisfactory sensorial acceptance of the product at the 1st, 25th and 46th days of storage.

The objective of this study was to prepare three donkey milk yoghurt formulations mixed with goat, cow and buffalo milk. The formulations were developed with 50% donkey milk and 50% cow, buffalo or goat milk. Concentrated mango pulp was added for flavouring. An evaluation was performed on the chemical composition of each milk sample and the formulated yoghurts. The donkey milk showed the lowest values for fat, protein, casein, total solids and non-fat solids. In turn, goat milk reached higher levels of fat and total solids. Furthermore, buffalo milk stood out with the highest values of protein and non-fat solids. Yoghurt made with donkey and buffalo milk showed higher concentrations of protein, lactose, total solids and non-fat solids. In contrast, the yoghurt that contained donkey and cow milk in its formulation obtained a higher fat percentage and a lower percentage of lactose, total solids and non-fat solids. The low content of fat and total solids in donkey milk, in addition to the structure of the casein micelles and small fat globules favor low consistency in fermented products. Thus, mixing donkey milk with milks from other animal species can result in better chemical composition and better consistency.