Element concentration and fatty acid composition of Serbian bee bread

J Ciric,R Petronijevic,V Djordjevic,S Simunovic,J Janjic,D Spiric,T Baltic

doi:10.1088/1755-1315/333/1/012050

J Ciric, R Petronijevic + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/333/1/012050

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Abstract

The element concentration (Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cr, Co, Ni, Se, K, Na, Ca and Mg), heavy metal concentration (Cd, Hg, Pb and As) and fatty acid composition of 12 Serbian bee bread samples from different geographical origins were examined. The element concentration was examined using ICP-MS, and total lipids for fatty acid determination were extracted from homogenized bee bread samples with hexane/isopropanol mixture by accelerated solvent extraction. Potassium was the major element, ranging between 5515±361.20 mg/kg and 7487±381.50 mg/kg. The highest As and Pb concentrations were found in bee breads from Lazarevac. This bee bread also contained the highest level of PUFA and SFA. Also, the n-6/n-3 ratio ranged between 0.86±0.28 and 1.40±0.05, indicating bee bread can be a good source of unsaturated fatty acids. Bee bread could be useful in monitoring environmental contamination by heavy metals (Cd, Hg, Pb and As), although complex studies of all bee products give sufficient information on this topic.

Highlights

Honey bee products, due to their nutritional and medical properties, are widely used in human diet and medicine
The element concentration was examined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and total lipids for fatty acid determination were extracted from homogenized bee bread samples with hexane/isopropanol mixture by accelerated solvent extraction
The n-6/n3 ratio ranged between 0.86±0.28 and 1.40±0.05, indicating bee bread can be a good source of unsaturated fatty acids

Summary

Introduction

Due to their nutritional and medical properties, are widely used in human diet and medicine. Many studies have presented the chemical composition of these products. The composition of bee bread, including fatty acid composition and element concentration, has not been studied. Fermented bee pollen is called bee bread (Figure 1) and mainly includes pollen, honey, and secretions of bees’ salivary glands [8]. This work presents, for the first time, the fatty acid composition and element concentration of 12 samples of beebread, obtained from different geographical locations in Serbia, where bee bread, due to its nutritional and physiological properties, is used in human diets.

Material and Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusion