Nutrient-rich bee pollen: A treasure trove of active natural metabolites

Effect of ultrasonic and ball‐milling treatment on cell wall, nutrients, and antioxidant capacity of rose (Rosa rugosa) bee pollen, and identification of bioactive components

“…(4). Male Kun-Ming mice, 6 weeks old, kept in the same conditions, were also used as a control group (5). Each group contained ten mice.…”

“…3,4 The compounds and biological effects vary depending on the origins of the pollen. 5 Bee pollen has therefore been used widely as a traditional medicine and for human nutrition. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in the utilization of bee pollen as an ingredient in food processing.…”

The Application of Pollen as a Functional Food and Feed Ingredient—The Present and Perspectives

“…Furthermore, pollen is a rich source of different important compounds ( Figure 1)-vitamins (with the prevalence of group-B vitamins) [7,8], carotenoids (such as lutein, β-cryptoxanthin, and β-caroten) [9], minerals [10][11][12], and polyphenols [13][14][15], which makes it attractive for use in the diets of children and adults suffering from certain avitaminoses and loss of appetite. Due to the diversity of active natural metabolites, especially vitamins, carotenoids, and polyphenols, pollen has a significant biological activity, expressed as the antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-carcinogenic activity and the hepatoprotective, and the cardioprotective effect [6]. Furthermore, pollen is recognized as a good tool for the therapeutic treatment of several different nonallergic diseases [7].…”

“…It was reported that the flower pollen extracts can be used as a complementary remedy for the treatment of the benign prostatic hyperplasia, chronic prostatitis, and vasomotor symptoms in women, but its clinical efficacy should be further tested [7]. The most important pollen compounds which are believed to possess the most prominent pharmacological activity are essential fatty acids, phospholipids, phytosterols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids [6,7].…”

“…Since then, a significant "breakthrough" about the application of pollen as a dietary supplement has been made and the number of available research articles has drastically increased.Nowadays, pollen is often recognized as the "only perfectly complete food" [4], and "the world's best food product" [5]. The dominant presence and high content of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids highlights pollen as an ideal natural supplement that provides energy; it has good nutritional value, regulates certain biochemical functions, and strengthens the body's immune and physiological systems [4,6]. Furthermore, pollen is a rich source of different important compounds (Figure 1)-vitamins (with the prevalence of group-B vitamins) [7,8], carotenoids (such as lutein, β-cryptoxanthin, and β-caroten) [9], minerals [10][11][12], and polyphenols [13][14][15], which makes it attractive for use in the diets of children and adults suffering from certain avitaminoses and loss of appetite.…”