Abstract
Bee pollen is a nutrient-rich food that meets the nutritional requirements of honey bees and supports human health. This study aimed to provide nutritive composition data for 11 popular bee pollen samples (Brassica napus (Bn), Bidens pilosa var. radiata (Bp), Camellia sinensis (Cs), Fraxinus griffithii (Fg), Prunus mume (Pm), Rhus chinensis var. roxburghii (Rc), Bombax ceiba (Bc), Hylocereus costaricensis (Hc), Liquidambar formosana (Lf), Nelumbo nucifera (Nn), and Zea mays (Zm)) in Taiwan for the global bee pollen database. Macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, were analyzed, which revealed that Bp had the highest carbohydrate content of 78.8 g/100 g dry mass, Bc had the highest protein content of 32.2 g/100 g dry mass, and Hc had the highest lipid content of 8.8 g/100 g dry mass. Only the bee pollen Hc completely met the minimum requirements of essential amino acids for bees and humans, and the other bee pollen samples contained at least 1–3 different limiting essential amino acids, i.e., methionine, tryptophan, histidine, valine, and isoleucine. Regarding the fatty acid profile of bee pollen samples, palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2), and linolenic acid (C18:3) were predominant fatty acids that accounted for 66.0–97.4% of total fatty acids. These data serve as an indicator of the nutritional quality and value of the 11 bee pollen samples.
Highlights
Accepted: 17 September 2021Bee pollen is a valuable natural product containing at least 200 biologically active substances with potential therapeutic applications [1,2,3]
Many studies have worked on the chemical composition of bee pollen
The results of more than 100 bee pollens revealed that the nutritional value of bee pollen varies depending on its floral origin
Summary
Bee pollen is a valuable natural product containing at least 200 biologically active substances with potential therapeutic applications [1,2,3]. It is produced by beekeepers and used as the primary nutrition source for a honey bee colony’s proper growth and development. The comprehensive nutrition of bee pollen can meet the requirements of humans. Bee pollen is a highly consumed natural product as a dietary supplement for humans [3]. Bee pollen is recommended as a food supplement for livestock because its composition is beneficial for their health. Pollen contains approximately 2–60% of proteins, 1–20% of lipids, and
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