Work

Salty Biscuits Enriched with Fresh and Dried Bee Pollen: Chemical, Technological, and Sensory Characterization

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Bee pollen is a potential functional food ingredient as it contains essential nutrients and a wide range of bioactive compounds. Among bakery products, sweet or salty biscuits are very popular, because they can be consumed quickly, have a long shelf life, and have a favorable taste and texture. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the enrichment of salty biscuits with bee pollen (fresh and dried) through their chemical-technological and sensory characteristics. The biscuit formulations were created by replacing the flour with an increasing amount (5% and 10%) of fresh (FP) and dried (DP) pollen. A formulation without pollen was used as the control (CB). To evaluate its potential as a fortification ingredient, pollen as well as salty biscuits were analyzed in terms of their chemical composition and sensory characteristics. In particular, biscuits with 5% fresh pollen (FPB5%) proved to be the formulation with the optimal combination of chemical-compositional and sensory characteristics. Given the increase in their antioxidant component, fortified biscuits can represent an interesting vehicle for phenolic compounds and carotenoids, with a characteristic sensory profile.

Source: Foods

DOI: 10.3390/foods14030527

Authors: Alessandro Bianchi, Sonia Capparelli, Isabella Taglieri, Chiara Sanmartin, Laura Pistelli, Francesca Venturi

Institution: University of Pisa

Language: English

Topic: Bee Products Chemical Analysis

Subfield: Insect Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,499