Chemical composition and free radical scavenging activity of Apis mellifera bee pollen from Southern Brazil

Abstract

Bee pollen is an agglomerate of pollen grains from various botanical sources, which are collected by the bees and mixed with nectar and secretion from the hypopharyngeal glands such as β-glycosidase enzymes. Bee pollen has a complex chemical composition constituted of carbohydrates, proteins, aminoacids, vitamins and minerals, and is considered a good nutritional source, beneficial to health, particularly because of the presence of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the nutritional composition and antioxidant activity of the bee pollen produced in the Southern region of Brazil. The content of humidity, water activity, protein, total sugars, reducing sugars, crude fiber, lipids and minerals, as well as the content of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity by the DPPH free radical scavenging method (2,2 diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl) were determined. The mean contents of humidity, protein and reducing sugars were 4.19, 20.47 and 48%, respectively, and the predominant minerals were phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium. The contents of phenolic compounds and total flavonoids were 30.46 ± 8.22 mg of GAE.g-1 pollen and 8.92 ± 5.5 mg of quercetin.g-1 pollen, respectively. High scavenging activities were found for the free radical DPPH, with EC 50 (minimum concentration required for the antioxidant to reduce the initial concentration of the DPPH by 50%) values that ranged from 810 to 4690 µg.mL-1. The bee pollen of Santa Catarina showed high antioxidant activity probably due to the high content of phenolic compounds present in pollen.

Physicochemical characteristics of pollen collected by Amazonian stingless bees

“…The percentage of crude fiber of pollen collected by the two stingless bee species (Table 1) was relatively high when compared to the values (mean: 3.4%; range 2,2-4,9%) reported by CARPES et al (2009) in pollen collected by A. mellifera from the Southern region of Brazil. However, the values reported for crude fiber in the present study were closer to those found by BELL et al (1983) in bee pollen from varieties of eucalyptus in Australia (6.9-15.6%).…”

Chemical Composition and Amounts of Mineral Elements in Honeybee-Collected Pollen in Relation to Botanical Origin

“…The chemical composition of bee-pollen showed an average of 7.40% moisture, 20.00% protein, 6.00% lipids, and 2.20% ash (Almeida-Muradian et al, 2005). Different values (4.20, 20.50, 4.90, and 2.90%, respectively) of Brazilian bee-pollen were found by Carpes et al (2009). The chemical composition of bee-pollen is known to vary according to the plant species from which the pollen was collected (Szczęsna et al, 2002;2006a;Morgano et al, 2012), the geographic origin (Serra Bonvehi and Escola Jorda, 1997;Carpes et al, 2009;Martins et al, 2011;Morgano et al, 2012), the season (Szczęsna et al, 2002;Morgano et al, 2012), and the storage and storage method (Human and Nicolson, 2006;Siuda et al, 2012).…”

“…Honeybee-collected pollen provides a rich source of easily digestible protein (Crailsheim et al, 1992;Campos et al, 1996;Serra Bonvehi and Escola Jorda, 1997;Szczęsna, 2006a;b). In addition to proteins, pollen also contains carbohydrates, fats and minerals (Orzáez Villanueva et al, 2002;Szczęsna et al, 2002;Almeida-Muradian et al, 2005;Human and Nicolson, 2006;Szczęsna, 2006a;2007;Campos et al, 2008;Carpes et al, 2009;Martins et al, 2011;Morgano et al, 2012). The chemical composition of bee-pollen showed an average of 7.40% moisture, 20.00% protein, 6.00% lipids, and 2.20% ash (Almeida-Muradian et al, 2005).…”

“…Different values (4.20, 20.50, 4.90, and 2.90%, respectively) of Brazilian bee-pollen were found by Carpes et al (2009). The chemical composition of bee-pollen is known to vary according to the plant species from which the pollen was collected (Szczęsna et al, 2002;2006a;Morgano et al, 2012), the geographic origin (Serra Bonvehi and Escola Jorda, 1997;Carpes et al, 2009;Martins et al, 2011;Morgano et al, 2012), the season (Szczęsna et al, 2002;Morgano et al, 2012), and the storage and storage method (Human and Nicolson, 2006;Siuda et al, 2012). Bee-pollen was involved in formulating supplementary food products because of its nutritional and therapeutic properties (Iannuzzi, 1993;Campos et al, 1996;Serra Bonvehi and Escola Jorda, 1997;Pernal and Currie, 2000;Orzáez Villanueva et al, 2002;Kacániová et al, 2012;Morgano et al, 2012).…”

Fornecimento de substituto de pólen na redução da mortalidade de Apis mellifera L. causada pela Cria Ensacada Brasileira

“…CARPES et al (2009), ao determinar a composição química do pólen coletado pela Apis mellifera africanizada, obtiveram a média de proteína de 20,47%.…”