Brazilian bee pollen: phenolic content, antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activity

Abstract

Bee pollen has been promoted as a dietary supplement for humans due to its nutritional and bioactive properties. Sixty-two samples of Apis mellifera dehydrated bee pollen collected in Brazil (eight states and Federal District) were analyzed for phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antioxidant activity using DPPH, b-carotene and ORAC methods, and antimicrobial activity. The values obtained for total phenolic compounds ranged from 12.60 to 84.22 mg GAE/g bee pollen while total flavonoids oscillated between 1.90 and 36.85 mg quercetin/g bee pollen. The IC 50 ranged from 0.35 to 13.42 mg bee pollen/mL of extract. The inhibition percentages ranged from 52.58 to 98.37% of bee pollen extract using the b-carotene method. When measured by the ORAC method, antioxidant activity was between 132.98 and 575.85 lmols eq. Trolox/g bee pollen. Bee pollen efficiently inhibited the growth of all the microorganisms studied. Candida albicans was the most resistant, while Staphylococcus epidermides was the most sensitive.

Screening of Plant Pollen Sources, Polyphenolic Compounds, Fatty Acids and Antioxidant/Antimicrobial Activity from Bee Pollen

“…The number of studies on the characterization of phenolic compounds in bee pollen has increased in recent years, as phenolic compounds have been recognized as potentially useful taxonomic markers [ 37 ]. The content of bee pollen varies significantly depending on the geographical origin, harvested time and plant source [ 38 ]. While the chemical, physicochemical and sensory properties of monofloral pollen are similar, these properties are quite different for heterofloral pollen samples.…”

Green Approach to Develop Bee Pollen-Loaded Alginate Based Nanofibrous Mat

“…The presence of bee pollen in the SA/PVA solution increased the conductivity of the solution. Bee pollen contains micronutrients (iron, copper, zinc, manganese, silicon, and selenium) and macronutrients (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, and potassium) [26,30]. Therefore this could also lead to an increase in the total quantity of ions in the solution.…”

“…During the electrospinning process, it was observed although fairly smooth surfaces were produced at concentrations of 2 and 3 weight % bee pollen, the obtained surfaces could not be properly stripped from the aluminum foil. This is thought to be due to the higher sugar content [28,30] as the stickiness increased. Generally, the electrospun bee pollen-loaded SA/PVA nanofibers demonstrated a few imperfections with an average diameter of about 100 nm.…”

“…Bee pollen is produced by the collection of floral pollen, from flowers and seedlings by stingless bees and honey bees, along with nectar or honey, bee secretions, wax, and enzymes. It consists of carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, lipids, phenolic compounds, vitamins, and minerals [26][27][28][29][30].…”

Diversity of aerobic spore-forming bacteria isolated from fresh bee pollen intended for human consumption in Argentina

“…In a recent review, pollen is described as "a new health-oriented product" (Kieliszek et al, 2018), containing proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals, crude fiber, flavonoids, carotenoids, enzymes, and free amino acids (Marg ao an et al, 2010). Bee pollen is also considered a functional food with demonstrated physiological benefits as improving health and reducing disease risk (Soares de Arruda et al, 2017). Bee pollen may be consumed fresh or after drying at 40-50 C, which reduces microbial spoilage and assure long-term stability and safety.…”