Chemical Profile, Antioxidant Properties and Antimicrobial Activities of Malaysian Heterotrigona itama Bee Bread.

Joseph Bagi Suleiman,Zaida Zakaria,Abdulqudus Bola Aroyehun,Victor Udo Nna,Ainul Bahiyah Abu Bakar,Zaidatul Akmal Othman,Mahaneem Mohamed

doi:10.3390/molecules26164943

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the chemical profile, antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activities of Heterotrigona itama bee bread from Malaysia. The pH, presence of phytochemicals, antioxidant properties, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), as well as antimicrobial activities, were assessed. Results revealed a decrease in the pH of bee bread water extract (BBW) relative to bee bread ethanolic extract (BBE) and bee bread hot water extract (BBH). Further, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, resins, glycosides and xanthoproteins were detected in BBW, BBH and BBE. Also, significant decreases in TPC, TFC, DPPH activity and FRAP were detected in BBW relative to BBH and BBE. We detected phenolic acids such as gallic acid, caffeic acid, trans-ferulic acid, trans 3-hydroxycinnamic acid and 2-hydroxycinnamic acid, and flavonoids such as quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin and mangiferin in BBE using high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The strongest antimicrobial activity was observed in Klebsilla pneumonia (MIC50 1.914 µg/mL), followed by E. coli (MIC50 1.923 µg/mL), Shigella (MIC50 1.813 µg/mL) and Salmonella typhi (MIC50 1.617 µg/mL). Bee bread samples possess antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Bee bread contains phenolic acids and flavonoids, and could be beneficial in the management and treatment of metabolic diseases.

Highlights

Bee bread comprises of pellets of bee pollen packed by foraging bees and conveyed to the bee hive on their hind legs in a pollen bag [1]
Honey is placed on the pollen to avoid decay, after which microorganisms like bacteria/yeast act upon it to produce bee bread in a process referred to as lactic acid fermentation
Our study revealed that bee bread ethanolic extract (BBE) showed significantly higher DPPH radical scavenging activity, H2O2 scavenging activity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as FRAP activity, than bee bread water extract (BBW) and bee bread hot water extract (BBH)

Summary

Introduction

Bee bread comprises of pellets of bee pollen packed by foraging bees and conveyed to the bee hive on their hind legs in a pollen bag [1] It is made from pollen assembled by bee and mixed with honey and salivary enzymes. Honey is placed on the pollen to avoid decay, after which microorganisms like bacteria/yeast act upon it to produce bee bread in a process referred to as lactic acid fermentation. Thereafter, it is eaten by adult bees and used as a source of food to feed larvae [4]. Bee bread is composed of 20% protein, 24–35% carbohydrates, 3% lipids, 3% minerals and vitamins (B1, B2, C, E, K, biotin, folic acid and nicotinic acid), pantothenic acid, polyphenols (phenolic acid and flavonoids), sterols, enzymes (amylase, saccharase and phosphatases) and carotenoids [5,6]

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