Aylanc, VolkanErtosun, SeymanurPeixoto, Andreia F.Santamaria-Echart, ArantzazuRusso-Almeida, PauloVale, NunoFreire, CristinaVilas-Boas, Miguel2025-12-172025-12-172025Aylanc, Volkan; Ertosun, Seymanur; Peixoto, Andreia F.; Santamaria-Echart, Arantzazu; Russo-Almeida, Paulo; Vale, Nuno; Freire, Cristina; Vilas-Boas, Miguel (2025). Development of natural sporopollenin microcapsules: from bee pollen to versatile biomaterials. Emergent Materials. ISSN 2522-5731. 8:4, p. 3107–31222522-5731http://hdl.handle.net/10198/35265The outer layer of the pollen grain, which plays a crucial role in the continuity of terrestrial plant life, has received significant attention due to its robustness, chemical inertness, and biocompatible structure made of sporopollenin. Herein, we present a straightforward method for producing high-purity (up to 97%) polymeric sporopollenin biocapsules (S-BioCaps) from bee pollen, exploring new plant sources for S-BioCaps, and diversifying the available morphologies to broaden the applications of pollen-based microcapsules. Following a purification process involving defatting, acidolysis, and several washing steps, we removed the inner components of the pollen grains and reduced the protein content to 2%. Confocal laser scanning and scanning electron microscopy images showed that the hollow and 3D S-BioCaps microstructure were preserved, while laser diffraction particle size analysis validated their monodisperse distribution across each pollen type within the size range of 15 to 24 μm. S-BioCaps tended to exhibit hydrophobic behavior when assessed through water dispersion and water marble analysis. Moreover, we sought to figure out the chemical changes occurring in specimens through Fourier-transform infrared analysis, and findings were consistent with simultaneous thermal analysis, where the thermal decomposition of sporopollenin biopolymer reached up to 457 °C. Overall, this work demonstrates a straightforward approach for utilizing pollen grains from Echium sp., Jasione sp., Papaver sp., Amaranthaceae, and Helianthemum sp., collected with the assistance of honeybees, to produce stable S-BioCaps with diverse morphologies, thereby broadening their potential applications as drug delivery microcarriers.engBee pollenRenewable sourcePolymeric microcapsulesGreen carriersjournal article10.1007/s42247-025-01002-12522-574X