Unveiling the techno-functional and bioactive properties of bee pollen as an added-value food ingredient

Abstract

Bee pollen is an imperative product for human use. Seven bee pollens were harvested from Morocco, and their chemical, biological and techno-functional properties were studied. All samples showed acceptable physicochemical and nutritional quality with a mean energy value of 239 kcal/100 g. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of major constituents like carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and polyphenols. Moreover, pollens exhibited good techno-functional properties, like carbohydrate solubility (34.47–59.27 g/100 g), protein solubility (7.28–23.31 g/100 g), emulsifying stability (16.52–45.38 min), emulsifying activity (9.83–25.05 g/m3) water absorption capacity (1.06–2.19 g/g), oil absorption capacity (1.15–3.50 g/g) and water–oil absorption index (0.62–1.25). Bee pollen extracts revealed potent antioxidant capacity and digestive enzyme inhibitory activity associated with the presence of fifteen phenolic compounds belonging to flavons, flavonols, flavanones, flavan-3-ols, hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids, and stilbenes families. Present data indicate the possible application of bee pollen as a useful nutritional, bioactive and anti-foaming ingredient, replacing synthetic products in food industries.