Characterization of Bee Bread Produced with Defined Starter Cultures Mimicking the Natural Fermentation Process

Abstract

Bee bread is a product with unique properties for humans and bees that is produced through the fermentation of pollen in the honeycomb, mainly caused by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast strains present in the environment. It is a rich source of nutrients such as proteins, polyphenols and vitamins. Despite the potential nutritional value of bee bread, it is consumed at low levels, as harvesting bee bread from the hives is costly and difficult. This study aimed to produce a standard bee bread by using different strains of the fructophilic lactic acid bacteria (FLAB) Lactobacillus kunkeei and the yeasts Starmeralla magnolia MP-2 and Zygosaccharomyces siamensis MP-14, previously isolated from bee products. In this context, bee bread was produced from pollen by solid-state fermentation using selected FLAB and yeast species, which were then compared with spontaneously developed and commercially available bee bread in terms of microbial stability, physicochemical properties, total phenolic component amounts, in vitro digestibility and amino acid profiles. As a result, it was determined that bee bread made from bee pollen fermented with starter cultures showed improved characteristics than commercial bee bread and was more advantageous in terms of absorption as well as production processes.

The Comparison of Honey Enriched with Laboratory Fermented Pollen vs. Natural Bee Bread in Terms of Nutritional and Antioxidant Properties, Protein In Vitro Bioaccessibility, and Its Genoprotective Effect in Yeast Cells

“…In the case of honeys with the addition of natural bee bread and processed pollen, a several-fold increase in protein content was observed, as the introduced additives are rich in them. Furthermore, apart from the soluble protein fraction, the additives used have a lot of non-protein nitrogen, e.g., from free amino acids, whose bee bread as well as fermented pollen contains a rich set [36]. Thanks to this, the obtained products show a high supply of protein valuable for the consumer.…”

Bee Bread as a Functional Product: Phenolic Compounds, Amino Acid, Sugar, and Organic Acid Profiles

“…Sommano et al [ 34 ] reported that the dominant essential amino acid types in pollen and honey samples were threonine, phenylalanine, and leucine, with the lowest being proline. In another study conducted in Türkiye, Poyraz et al [ 35 ] found that the highest essential amino acids in all samples were alanine, leucine, and phenylalanine with values of 2.6086 g/100 g, 3.7982 g/100 g, and 14.447 g/100 g, respectively. In our study, the highest phenylalanine, alanine, and leucine values were determined in samples collected from Çıldır, with values of 1219.80 mg/100 g, 1627.32 mg/100 g, and 2251.99 mg/100 g, respectively.…”

Enhancing Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities in Bee-Collected Pollen through Solid-State Fermentation: A Comparative Analysis of Bioactive Compounds

“…These studies elucidate the transformative influence of BP fermentation, underscoring a metabolic activity that fosters the synthesis of components akin to those found naturally in FBP and bee bread. The fermentation process manifests its effects predominantly by enhancing the diversity and intensity of biologically active substances, as evidenced by the concentration increase post-fermentation [ 30 ]. However, in this study, there was an exception, and a decrease in chlorogenic acid was observed after the fermentation process in all samples.…”

“…Spontaneous and inoculated BP fermentation increased polyphenol contents and antioxidant activity [ 16 ]. Poyraz et al [ 30 ] used Lactobacillus kunkeei and yeasts for fermentation, enhancing BP’s characteristics and digestibility. Lactobacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation increased BP’s nutrient availability, total phenolics, and antioxidant activity.…”