Work

Botanical origin, chemical composition, and microbiological quality of bee pollen from Iran

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Bee pollen as a natural product has gained popularity in recent years and is increasingly being used as a food and dietary supplement. This work aims to characterize, the botanical origin, nutritional value, total phenolic content, and microbiological quality of this beehive product. Palynological analyses of 28 pollen samples by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) identified a total of 75 pollen types from 25 families and 64 genera, most of them belonging to Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Brassicaceae and Apiaceae families. Physicochemical parameters were determined, and data showed that pH, moisture, and ash content values ranged from 4.7 to 5.4, 2.1% to 3.2%, and 1.8% to 2.1%, respectively. Total carbohydrate, lipid, and protein contents in these samples varied from 67.7% to 75.8%, 2.1% to 8.9%, and 16.4% to 24.6%, respectively. Total phenolic content was between 6 and 11.5 mg GAE/g pollen. Microbiological quality was assessed using the plate count method, and the aerobic mesophilic plate count (APC) of pollen samples ranged from 1.2 × 10 2 to 6 × 10 3 cfu/g. The results of this study could play an important role in the quality control of bee pollen, and help improve the commercial value of this product.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-28500-w

Authors: Siavash Naghizadeh, Ahmadreza Mehrabian, Hadi Maleki, Zahra Shakoori

Institution: Shahid Beheshti University

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: $2,690