Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Bee pollen has been promoted as a dietary supplement for humans due to its nutritional and bioactive properties. Sixty-two samples of Apis mellifera dehydrated bee pollen collected in Brazil (eight states and Federal District) were analyzed for phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antioxidant activity using DPPH, β-carotene and ORAC methods, and antimicrobial activity. The values obtained for total phenolic compounds ranged from 12.60 to 84.22 mg GAE/g bee pollen while total flavonoids oscillated between 1.90 and 36.85 mg quercetin/g bee pollen. The IC50 ranged from 0.35 to 13.42 mg bee pollen/mL of extract. The inhibition percentages ranged from 52.58 to 98.37% of bee pollen extract using the β-carotene method. When measured by the ORAC method, antioxidant activity was between 132.98 and 575.85 μmols eq. Trolox/g bee pollen. Bee pollen efficiently inhibited the growth of all the microorganisms studied. Candida albicans was the most resistant, while Staphylococcus epidermides was the most sensitive.
Description
Keywords
Antimicrobial activity Bee pollen Bleaching assay DPPH ORAC Total phenolic compounds β-carotene
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Arruda, Vanilda Aparecida Soares de; Santos, Alexandre Vieria dos; Sampaio, Davi Figueiredo; Araújo, Elias da Silva; Peixoto, André Luís de Castro; Estevinho, Leticia M.; Almeida-Muradian, Ligia Bicudo de (2021). Brazilian bee pollen: phenolic content, antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activity. Journal of Apicultural Research. ISSN 0021-8839. 60:5, p. 775-783