Resumen de Antioxidant properties, element contents and antimicrobial activities of bee pollen collected by Apis mellifera L. in Türkiye
Ilginc Kizilpinar Temizer, Aytac Guder, Esra Deniz Candan, Ufuk Yolcu
Aim of study: Recently, pollen has become a preferred nutritional supplement because of its complex composition. We examined the botanical origin, total phenolic/flavonoid content (TPC/TFC), antioxidant/antimicrobial activity, and element content of pollen samples collected from honeybees. This study also examined whether the elements contained in pollen, when consumed as food, posed a risk to human health.
Area of study: Ten mixed pollen samples were randomly collected from honeybees in the apiaries of four different Turkish regions, which fall among the three phytogeographic regions of Türkiye.
Material and methods: We evaluated total flavonoid (TFC) and phenolic (TPC) contents; antioxidant activities (radical scavenging activity, hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity - HPSA, ferric reducing antioxidant power - FRAP, and ferrous ion chelating activity - FICA), element concentrations and antimicrobial activity.
Main results: According to the melissopalynological analysis, one sample was determined to be unifloral and nine samples were found to be multifloral. The values found ranged 271.42-601.85 mg GAE/100 g TPC, 23.53-34.50 mg CAE/100 g TFC, 22.19-23.78 μg/mL DPPH, 6.50-78.40 µg/mL ABTS, 20.43-150.94 μg/mL HPSA, 97.26-99.83% FRAP and 74.84-91.79% FICA. Rosmanic acid, p-coumaric acid, quercetin, apigenin, and naringin were identified in all samples, while catechin was detected only in S6 and S7. Element contents were found Mg > Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Se > Cr > Ni > Cd > Co. All the samples had high antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus (MIC= 4.17-8.33 g/mL), and against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC= 8.33 g/mL), except S3 and S4.
Research highlights: Different levels and combinations of these components are efficient in the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of pollen.
