Characterization of Bee Pollen: Physico-Chemical Properties, Headspace Composition and FTIR Spectral Profiles.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Prđun S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8472029 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:The aim of this study was to compare the physichochemical composition of various bee products, namely, bee pollen, beebread, propolis, honey, and royal jelly. The samples (37 out of 53) were collected in Lithuania, several samples from other Europe countries (Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Slovakia, Poland, Spain, Republic of Malta, The Netherlands, Latvia, Ukraine) were used for comparison. Various quantities, such as pH, electrical conductivity, oxidation-reduction potential, NaCl content, refraction index, Brix value, total phenolic compound content, total flavonoid content and antiradical activity were measured. Together with the mentioned, the content of micro- and macroelements (As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Se, Sr, V and Zn), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy absorption spectra were analysed. To our knowledge, the literature data about comprehensive comparison of various characteristics of bee products are scarce. Also, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study revealing mineral content in Lithuanian bee pollen, beebread and royal jelly. The study exposed that bee pollen not only showed the highest values of pH, electrical conductivity and content of soluble solids, but also distinguished from the other samples by the highest flavonoid content (up to 48.3 mg/10 g), the absence of Cr, the presence of Co (0.011-0.100 mg/kg) and Sr (0.73-5.37 mg/kg) and the highest content of Ca (997-2455 mg/kg) and Mg (644-1004 mg/kg). Hierarchical clustering analysis was applied to group the tested samples according to the physicochemical analysis results and mineral content. The clustering analysis revealed that bee pollen formed separate group with the highest distance from the other samples in both cases.
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Project description:Information on compositional, nutritional and functional properties of bee-pollen, as a health-promoting food, is essential for defining its quality. Concerning the nutritional importance of phenolic compounds, the aim of this study was to determine the phenolic profile and antioxidant activity of twenty-four bee-pollen samples collected from different regions of Serbia. High-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) fingerprinting was used for profiling of bee-pollen samples according to the botanical type. HPTLC hyphenated with image analysis and a pattern recognition technique confirmed the grouping of samples caused by the specific phenolic composition of pollens of different botanical origin. Flavonoid glycosides in bee-pollen samples were identified by applying ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (LTQ Orbitrap MS). Eight out of twenty-seven flavonol glycosides were identified in bee-pollen samples for the first time. All analyzed bee-pollen samples showed a high number of phenolic compounds which may have therapeutic potential.
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Project description:Bee-collected pollen (BCP) is currently receiving increasing attention as a dietary supplement for humans. In order to increase the accessibility of nutrients for intestinal absorption, several biotechnological solutions have been proposed for BCP processing, with fermentation as one of the most attractive. The present study used an integrated metabolomic approach to investigate how the use of starter cultures may affect the volatilome and the profile of bioaccessible phenolics of fermented BCP. BCP fermented with selected microbial starters (Started-BCP) was compared to spontaneously fermented BCP (Unstarted-BCP) and to unprocessed raw BCP (Raw-BCP). Fermentation significantly increased the amount of volatile compounds (VOC) in both Unstarted- and Started-BCP, as well as modifying the relative proportions among the chemical groups. Volatile free fatty acids were the predominant VOC in Unstarted-BCP. Started-BCP was differentiated by the highest levels of esters and alcohols, although volatile free fatty acids were always prevailing. The profile of the VOC was dependent on the type of fermentation, which was attributable to the selected Apilactobacillus kunkeei and Hanseniaspora uvarum strains used as starters, or to the variety of yeasts and bacteria naturally associated to the BCP. Started-BCP and, to a lesser extent, Unstarted-BCP resulted in increased bioaccessible phenolics, which included microbial derivatives of phenolic acids metabolism.
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