Pollen Samples Research Articles

Bee pollens as biological indicators: An ecological assessment of pollution in Northern Turkey via ICP-MS and XPS analyses.

In this study, pollens were collected from 25 different locations of Northern Turkey to investigate pollution monitoring. Surface chemistry of pollen samples was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Then the concentrations of certain elements (Li, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Ba, and Pb) in pollen samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the evaluation of environmental pollution. The levels of elements were detected in the following ranges (minimum-maximum, mg/kg dry pollen): Li (0.18-0.39), Al (24.98-308.04), V (6.18-98.58), Cr (1.05-6.81), Mn (13.85-95.91), Fe (52.20-326.26), Co (0.15-0.34), Ni (1.66-10.79), Cu (8.61-19.01), Zn (20.47-70.02), As (1.22-2.65), Se (0.39-0.67), Cd (0.05-0.74), Ba (0.73-16.30), and Pb (0.00-0.26). It has been concluded that there is a correlation between the pollen samples with high heavy metal concentrations and traffic density as these regions are closer to the road in the northern region. It is exposed to pollution from various sources such as intensified urbanization and tourism activities carried out on land and sea; industrial activities are increasing rapidly due to the opportunities offered by the coastal areas, sea transportation, and agricultural, domestic, and industrial pollution coming from the inner regions through rivers and streams. In this sense, pollens can be used as potential bio-indicators for monitoring heavy metal pollution and gives an idea about how we can use them for future assessing purposes.

Chemical Profiles of Korean Bee Pollens and Their Catechol-O-methyltransferase Inhibitory Activities.

Bee pollen is an apicultural product collected by honeybees from flower stamens and is consumed to help maintain a healthy diet. In this study, the chemical profiles of 11 Korean bee pollens were investigated using molecular networking analysis. This analysis elucidated the presence of two major clusters, hydroxycinnamoyl acid amides (HCAAs, molecular network 1 (MN1)) and flavonoid glycosides (MN2), in the bee pollen samples. The inhibitory properties of the bee pollens and the isolated HCAAs toward human catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), a key neurotransmitter involved in Parkinson's disease and depression, were determined. N1,N5,N10-(E)-tricaffeoylspermidine ((E,E,E)-1) exhibited the highest activity of the four compounds isolated, with an IC50 value 16 μM, and inhibited COMT competitively. Quantitative analysis of HCAAs showed that the amounts of N1,N10-dicaffeoyl-N5-p-coumaroylspermidine (2) and N10-caffeoyl-N1,N5-di-p-coumaroylspermidine (3) contributed to the observed differences in the COMT inhibitory activities of Korean bee pollens. This study may lead to the prevention and treatment of Parkinson's disease and depression using bee pollens.

Occurrence and human health risk assessment of mineral elements and pesticides residues in bee pollen

Bee pollen contains a diversity of bioactive components. Nevertheless, since pollen is retrieved from a variety of plants, including the cultivated ones which are subjected to agrochemical treatments, its contamination is unavoidable. In this context, 45 samples of pollen were analysed with optimized analytical methods for trace and macro elements (ICP-MS), pesticides and metabolites residues (LC & GC-MS/MS) content. According to the results, potassium and iron were the most abundant in terms of concentration and frequency of detection, while the contribution of the most hazardous elements, such as lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury, to the total concentration of trace elements was lower than 1%. For pesticides, coumaphos was the most frequently detected in the examined samples (22%), followed by propargite, azoxystrobin, dimethoate and cypermethrin. Non-carcinogenic health risk assessment demonstrated in the majority of cases negligible risk for adults and children. On the contrary, carcinogenic risk assessment considering a worst case scenario disclosed nickel and in less extent chromium and arsenic, as risk drivers, exhibiting in several samples carcinogenic risk values for adults above the safety threshold. Yet, regarding that both adults and children unlikely will daily consume such pollen quantities, especially on a long-term basis, an overestimation of risk should be appraised.

Environmental and land use changes in a Mediterranean landscape: Palynology and geoarchaeology at ancient Metapontum (Pantanello, Southern Italy)

The paper presents the results of palynological and geoarchaeological investigation carried out on the Greek-Roman site of Pantanello – ancient Metapontum – in the Metaponto Plain (southern Italy). This area, archaeologically investigated since the ‘70s, is an example of the long-term interaction between human communities and the environment. A total of 29 pollen samples and 43 bulk samples for sedimentological and mineralogical analyses were collected from three 2-m-deep trenches excavated in the vicinity of the archaeological complex of Pantanello and the alluvial plain of the Basento River. Our multidisciplinary investigation permitted to elucidate the main natural and human-controlled sedimentary processes that took place in the last two millennia. Large part of sedimentation occurred in fluvial environments and led to the accumulation of fine and organic matter-rich deposits. This happened in alluvial to swampy environments at the margin of the Basento River plain. Since the Greek occupation of the area, human communities contributed to the sedimentation with different degree of intensity. In fact, human agency (herding and cultivation) tuned the intensity of soil erosion and slope processes, thus activating the colluvial mobilization of coarse sediments into the sedimentary sequence. Pollen analyses allowed exhaustive landscape reconstructions of the site, giving specific details on the land use and its transformations during the Greek and Roman phases. The increased human exploitation of the area altered the intensity of surface processes (erosion and sedimentation) and the evolution of plant cover promoted by natural dynamics.

Stingless bee resources during reforestation of the Atlantic domain of Rio De Janeiro city, Brazil

Extensive farms were developed from the first settlements in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The scarcity of water year after year currently necessitates the reforestation of degraded areas to protect the remaining forestlands and water resources, mainly on hillsides. Native species of plants and stingless bees were introduced, with the main intention of pollination intensification and seed production to grow new shrubs and trees. These reforested areas produced honey and bee pot-pollen. The present study elucidated the pollination dynamics in three areas under reforestation (Serra da Posse area, Morro da Formiga area, and Serra dos Pretos Forros area) considering three native bee species (Nannotrigona testaceicornes, Tetragonisca angustula and Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides) and pollen analysis of bee products. For sample processing, neither the acetolysis methodology, nor staining was applied. Paired honey and pollen samples were considered, and in addition anemophilous and exotic pollen grains, as well as structured elements. It is suggested to intensify the planting of native trees and shrubs, such as Arecaceae, Mimosaceae, Myrtaceae, Alchornea, Anadenanthera, Piptadenia and Schizolobium, thus allowing the establishment of a diversity of parasitic Loranthaceae species appreciated by native bees. Food competition among bees was low. The vegetation in newly forested areas did not completely meet the food needs of the bees. The cultivation of a great diversity of native plants and bee species in degraded areas and under reforestation certainly yields a good result more quickly.

Assessment of in Vitro Pollen Germination and Pollen Tube Growth of Annona Cherimola Mill

ABSTRACT Yield in cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) is affected by various factors reducing fertilization and fruit production such as: the protogynous dichogamy of the flowers, deficient natural pollination, and low pollen quality. The objective of this study was to determine in vitro the differences in pollen quality of nine ecotypes and one cultivar of A. cherimola from pollen samples collected at the female and male phenological stages of flowering. The percentage of pollen germination and the length of pollen tubes was evaluated in vitro at 2 and 24 hours after incubation at 21°C, in two phenological stages of the flowers during bloom in 2018 and 2019 seasons. The germination medium contained: 10% sucrose, 1% agar, 0.005% boric acid, and 0.025% calcium nitrate. Fabulosa and Austro ecotypes and the Fino de Jete cultivar had the highest pollen germination in the male phenological stage, after 2 and 24 hours in both seasons. Fabulosa had the highest percentage of germination in the female stage in both seasons. The ideal phenological stage for pollen collection was at anther dehiscence. Austro and Fabulosa ecotypes had the longest pollen tubes after 2 and 24 hours, in both phenological stages for both seasons. Fabulosa and Austro ecotypes, and Fino de Jete cultivar, showed promising pollen characteristics for hand pollination of cherimoya.

Determination of organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues in air and pollen samples and pollutant partition between these environments

Determination of organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues in air and pollen samples and pollutant partition between these environments

Pollen profile of bee pollen from semiarid Northeastern Brazil

The Northeastern Brazil has xerical vegetation with different biomes. Its botanical heterogeneity represents shelter for diverse fauna. The region is rich in bees, which demand the resources offered by the plants, and provide pollination services. Bee pollen has been used as a beneficial food source for humans due to its high nutritional content and being a natural antioxidant. Pollen analysis can determine the plant species visited by bees, using them as the source of pollen supply. This study aimed to identify the main pollen types present in the pollen collected by Apis mellifera in the Northeastern Brazil and to define its botanical affinity. Commercial bee pollen samples produced in the region were treated by acetolysis method, mounted on slides, and the frequency of occurrence was estimated for each type of pollen. It was possible to distinguish 113 pollen types belonging to 35 botanical families, distributed in 92 genera. Fabaceae and Asteraceae were the families that most contributed to pollen types. Pollen types of Cocos nucifera and Myrcia were found in more than 50% of the samples. The families Arecaceae and Fabaceae showed high beekeeping potential. There is a striking similarity between the pollen samples from the states of Pernambuco and Rio Grande Norte.

Monitoring of honey bee floral resources with pollen DNA metabarcoding as a complementary tool to vegetation surveys

Abstract Monitoring biodiversity is a growing and pressing challenge, particularly as climate change threatens species with extinction and leads to widespread shifts in plant distribution and phenology. Tracking changes via ground vegetation surveys is costly and time‐consuming, hence monitoring of complex and heterogenous communities remains an ongoing challenge. Molecular DNA methods are rapidly being developed to provide fast and reproducible results for environmental monitoring, including diet and ecosystem assessments. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding of pollen foraged by European honey bees (Apis mellifera) to investigate their floral resource use in an urban reserve. We collected three different pollen samples from hives: individual bees, raw honey and pollen traps, and identified plants using two metabarcoding markers (ITS2 and trnL). We then compared the results to a ground vegetation survey of surrounding flowering taxa. Pollen DNA metabarcoding detected 74 taxa (48.6% identified to species) across all pollen sources, compared to 44 taxa recorded by the survey (93% identified to species). Within the metabarcoding results, we identified 25% of the genera and 9% of the species found during the survey, with three of the top 10 flowering genera represented. While honey was the most taxon‐rich pollen source (mean = 8.5, SD = 3.5), followed by honey bees (mean = 5.8, SD = 6.1) and pollen traps (mean = 4.2, SD = 1.7), combining the results of six individual bees could detect similar taxa numbers to honey, while 20 bees were required to detect as many taxa as the survey. We demonstrate how DNA metabarcoding of the pollen foraged by honey bees can detect more flowering taxa than traditional survey methods, and how different pollen sources and genetic markers affect the level of detection of plant taxa. The foraging choices of honey bees matched few species detected by the vegetation survey, therefore pollen metabarcoding is recommended as a complementary approach to ground surveys. Rigorous validation and stringent filtering of metabarcoding results were also required to exclude potential false positives. Altogether, this molecular approach can be used to augment vegetation surveys, while tracking the floral resources used by bees.

Mézek és virágporok beltartalmi összetételének és színjellemzőinek vizsgálata

Due to its nutritional value, physiological effects and unique aroma, honey is one of our widely consumed foods, used for sweetening. There are several regulations concerning the composition and analysis of honey, of which the specifications and guidelines of the Hungarian Food Codex are authoritative in Hungary. In the present study, the color characteristics and nutrient composition of domestic and foreign honeys are examined. Our intention was to review the physical and chemical characteristics of honeys of different origin marketed in Hungary. As a point of interest, a honey obtained from a foreign market was also examined. Pollen is a less widely consumed apiculture product, mostly a dietary supplement known to health-conscious consumers. There is also much less knowledge is available about its composition than in the case of honey. With our work, we intended to fill this gap. In addition, the nutrient content and color characteristics of pollen samples from some plant species that also occur in Hungary are described.

Identification of heat-induced proteomes in meiotic pollen mother cells of tomato 'Maxifort' using single-cell-type tandem mass tag (TMT) proteomics

Heat stress (HS) poses a significant challenge to tomato production due to disruption of the reproductive organs, especially the male gametophytes. This study reports HS-induced proteome changes in meiotic pollen mother cells during early stages of anther development. Tomato (<em>Solanum lycopersicum</em> L. × <em>S. habrochaites</em>) &#39;Maxifort&#39; were grown in a heated polytunnel in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Plants at flowering stage were subjected to heat treatment at 40 ± 2 °C for 4 hr (11:00−15:00 HR); and the non-heat-treated control was at 30 ± 2 °C (day/night) at the same period of time for 10 d. The size of the flower buds containing meiotic pollen mother cells was determined based on the histology of DAPI stained cross section of anthers. Flower buds were embedded in optimal cutting temperature solutions (OCT) and then cut into sections of 20 µm thickness. Sections containing meiotic pollen mother cells were collected using laser capture microdissection (LCM). A protein extraction procedure was optimized for the LCM collected pollen samples which yielded 25−30 μg protein from 150,000−200,000 pollen cells. The heat-induced proteomes of meiotic pollen mother cells were quantified using tandem mass tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics analysis. Among the 6,343 quantified proteins, 254 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) showed significant differences in abundance level from heat treated to non-heat-treated control conditions. The heat-up-regulated-DEPs (96 proteins) include heat shock proteins, calreticulin and exocytosis (synaptobrevin) which are involved in protein folding/refolding/targeting/removal and secretion of aggregated and damaged proteins/peptides. The heat-down-regulated-DEPs (158 proteins) were involved in pathways of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, antioxidant mechanism, and metabolic processes of carbohydrates and lipids. Proteins affecting apoptotic programmed cell death and pollen mother cell meiotic activity were significantly changed under HS. The identified proteins and the affected biological processes could represent the major heat tolerance mechanisms during early developmental stages of male gametophyte when exposed to daily periods of above 40 °C HS condition.

Allergenic Proteins of Tilia Cordata

Pollen forms large amount of aeroallergens in the atmosphere that spread through winds and insects. Allergenic pollen grains are water-soluble glycoprotein or protein bioparticles and its weight is approximately 5-80 kDa. There are many factors that cause allergies and considering the recently changing climatic conditions and their ability to spread over a wide geographical areas, pollens are among the major factors causing allergies. In this study, it was aimed to detect potential allergen pollen proteins of Tilia cordata which is a potent allergen. The pollen samples belonging to T. cordata were dried and then they were separated with sieve. Acetone washing and dialysis processes were applied to purificate pollen. Afterwards, the amount of protein in the pollens of T. cordata was determined by the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method. In order to detect allergen proteins, gel runing was performed by SDS-PAGE. Silver staining method was applied to make visible the bands of T. cordata pollen proteins obtained from the gel. Five different allergenic pollen proteins, weights 10, 23, 40, 50 and 80 kDa, were detected as a result of SDS-PAGE. This is the second study in the literature related with the identification of T. cordata allergenic proteins and we showed two different protein bands compared with the former study result. Besides, our study is original in this perspective. We think that this study contributes to the literature on allergenic proteins of T. cordata and should be supported by future studies.

Allergenic Proteins of Tilia Cordata

Pollen forms large amount of aeroallergens in the atmosphere that spread through winds and insects. Allergenic pollen grains are water-soluble glycoprotein or protein bioparticles and its weight is approximately 5-80 kDa. There are many factors that cause allergies and considering the recently changing climatic conditions and their ability to spread over a wide geographical areas, pollens are among the major factors causing allergies. In this study, it was aimed to detect potential allergen pollen proteins of Tilia cordata which is a potent allergen. The pollen samples belonging to T. cordata were dried and then they were separated with sieve. Acetone washing and dialysis processes were applied to purificate pollen. Afterwards, the amount of protein in the pollens of T. cordata was determined by the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method. In order to detect allergen proteins, gel runing was performed by SDS-PAGE. Silver staining method was applied to make visible the bands of T. cordata pollen proteins obtained from the gel. Five different allergenic pollen proteins, weights 10, 23, 40, 50 and 80 kDa, were detected as a result of SDS-PAGE. This is the second study in the literature related with the identification of T. cordata allergenic proteins and we showed two different protein bands compared with the former study result. Besides, our study is original in this perspective. We think that this study contributes to the literature on allergenic proteins of T. cordata and should be supported by future studies.

Quantitative assessment of coagulation of atmospheric particles onto airborne birch pollen grains

The coagulation of airborne particles on the surface of allergenic pollen grains is poorly described in the literature. However, particles deposited on the surface of pollen grains could have an effect on allergy and its symptoms. Observations of pollen surface alterations reported in the literature are either qualitative or are tainted by sampling artifacts that overestimate surface particulate pollution. Birch pollen grains (BPGs) were sampled in the atmosphere during pollination to quantitatively assess the extent of particulate deposition on allergenic pollen surfaces. Airborne PGs were collected with a cascade impactor ensuring no sampling artifact unlike pollen samplers usually used in this type of study. Counting, sizing and elemental analysis of particles adhering on pollen surfaces were performed by SEM/EDX. 68% of PGs did not carry any particle on their visible surface while the remaining 32% had between 1 and 16 particles on their surface. On average, polluted BPGs carried 2 ± 1 particles, representing an average surface coverage of 0.95%. We hypothesized that the main coagulation process was particle deposition by gravitational settling. Collision velocity calculations indicate that coagulation due to gravitational settling is prevalent under typical pollination atmospheric conditions. However, the effects of electric charges carried by pollen are largely unknown and may significantly alter coagulation rates. The presence of particle-polluted allergenic pollens appears to be common in the urban atmosphere, even under low air pollution conditions. The impact of chemical pollution of BPGs due to the presence of particulate matter (including soot particles) remains relatively unknown, both on the allergy and on the reproductive capacity of the trees.

Polymorphisms in Cha o 1 and Cha o 2, major allergens of Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) pollen from a restricted region in Japan.

Japanese cedar pollinosis is a major seasonal allergy in Japan, and Japanese cypress pollinosis is a growing concern because the cypress pollen season follows the cedar pollen season and cross-reactivity among allergens occurs between these closely related species. Allergens purified from pollen under unspecified collecting conditions can potentially heterogenous allergens profiles and batch to batch variability, and amino acid sequence variants in allergens possibly exist among trees. Polymorphisms have not been investigated for the cypress pollen major allergens, Cha o 1 and Cha o 2. Our aim was to examine the homogeneity of allergen amino acid sequences. DNA sequences of Cha o 1 and Cha o 2 from pollen collected from Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures and from needles of 47 plus trees located at seed orchards in Chiba Prefecture were examined by amplicon sequencing and amino acid substitutions were deduced. Sequence analysis of the pollen samples revealed that eight and seven residues of Cha o 2 were polymorphic, respectively. Thirteen residues in Cha o 2, including those residues identified in pollen, were deduced to be polymorphic for the plus trees. Cha o 2 expressed by the 47 plus trees included amino acid differences when compared with that of isoallergen Cha o 2.0101. No substitution was deduced in Cha o 1 for pollen taken from the two prefectures. One conservative amino acid substitution was deduced in Cha o 1 for the plus trees. Of the 47 plus trees examined, 38 were deduced to express only the isoallergen Cha o 1.0101 isoform, whereas eight trees were heterozygous and a single tree was homozygous for the non-synonymous mutation, which indicates relative uniformity of Cha o 1. Cha o 2 was found to be a heterogeneous allergen which suggests that studies using pollen from different trees may not give the same results.

Bacterial microbiota in Nannotrigona testaceicornis (Lepeletier, 1836) colonies

Stingless bees are found in tropical and subtropical regions, being social and with greater species diversity. For the colony to be healthy and have good productivity, bees make mutualistic interactions with specific microorganisms. This study was carried out to analyze the bacterial community present in colonies of Nannotrigona testaceicornis. The experiments were performed by methods dependent on cultivation, quantification, morphotintorial analyzes and chemical tests. The bacteria isolated from the adult stingless bees, pupae, larvae, propolis, stored pollen and honey samples from the six colonies, were divided into five groups according to their main characteristics: Coryneform, Lactobacillaceae, Sporulated Bacilli, Micrococcacea and Streptococcacea. The highest bacterial load was found in propolis followed by the adult stingless bee; in addition, common bacterial populations were found among the samples. This work, the microbiota associated with stingless bee colony N. testaceicornis, contributes to a better understanding of the symbiotic relationships between social bees and microorganisms.

Pollen morphology of Acalypha L. (Euphorbiaceae) with emphasis on Brazilian species from Bahia

We investigated the pollen morphology of eight species of Acalypha occurring in Bahia State, Brazil. Flower buds were collected from specimens deposited in the CEPEC and HUEFS herbaria. Pollen samples were acetolyzed and analyzed using both light and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains examined using optical microscopy were found to be small and brevicolporate, with three to six apertures and elevations and fastigium, and had a psilate to scabrate exine. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the presence of supratectal elements and Ubisch bodies, and evidenced three pollen types based mainly on exine ornamentation: microrugulate-scabrate (slightly rugulate-scabrate), areolate-rugulate, and microechinate. This study provides new data and new interpretations of pollen morphology for the genus Acalypha, with comments on the palynological relationships between Acalypha and its sister group Mareya, and the next most closely related genus (Spathiostemon).

Viable fructophilic lactic acid bacteria present in honeybee-based food products.

Fructophilic lactic acid bacteria (FLAB) are a group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with unique growth characteristics and are regarded as promising candidates for foods or food ingredients. The present study characterized levels of viable FLAB cells in honeybee-based food products, especially focusing on fresh honey. FLAB were recovered from 88% of fresh honey samples (harvested within a week) tested, and 29% of the fresh honey samples contained FLAB with levels of over 105 CFU/g. FLAB species found in the tested fresh honeys were mostly Apilactobacillus kunkeei and Fructobacillus fructosus. FLAB were not recovered from aged honey samples (aged over 2 weeks after harvest). Fresh comb honey and bee pollen samples occasionally contained low levels of FLAB. When FLAB were inoculated into honeys (linden honey and clover honey), their viability markedly reduced during a week. One of the reasons for this decrease was the presence of H2O2 in the honeys, and supplementation of catalase significantly improved their survivability in linden honey. The long history of human consumption of fresh honey suggests that viable FLAB cells do not present health concerns.

Simultaneous detection of ten kinds of insecticide residues in honey and pollen using UPLC-MS/MS with graphene and carbon nanotubes as adsorption and purification materials.

An analytical method of simultaneous detection of ten insecticide residues in honey and pollen was established. The samples were purified with QuEChERS approach using new adsorbents and analyzed with UPLC-MS/MS. The results showed that both of graphene and carbon nanotubes were highly efficient adsorbents for the dSPE clean up to eliminate coextractives in the samples, and graphene was superior to carbon nanotubes for the detection of pesticide residues in honey and pollen samples. The proposed method was used to detect pesticide residues in 25 honey samples and 30 pollen samples which were randomly collected from more than ten provinces in China. All honey samples contain 1-27 μg/kg of chlorpyrifos residues. Only 4% of the honey samples were detected containing acetamiprid and imidacloprid, while the other seven pesticides were not detected. Chlorpyrifos residues were found in all pollen samples (5-66 μg/kg), among which twenty percent exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs, 50 μg/kg, European Commission Regulation). Most of the pollen samples containing pesticide concentrations higher than MRLs were collected from rape, followed by lotus, camellia, and rose. Besides, 36.7% and 33.3% of the pollen samples had imidacloprid and flupyradifurone higher than 5 μg/kg. A total of 26.7% pollen samples were detected containing bifenthrin, while none of the other six pesticides were detected in pollen samples.

PALYNOLOGICAL ANALYSES, CHEMICAL and MINERAL COMPOSITION OF SOME HONEYBEE POLLEN PELLETS

Bee products have gained popularity in recent years as food, dietary supplements and adjuvant products due to their extraordinary health properties. Globally, bee pollen is the second most consumed product after honey, has a special importance as a male reproductive unit of flowers, as well as a rich nutrient material, as it contains the oral secretions of the honeybee. In this study, palynological identification of bee pollen collected from apiaries from different regions was made. The bee pollen content was found to be consisting of dry matter between 71.47-81.38%, protein between 17.5-26.0%, fat 5.84-10.95%, and ash content 2.02-2.44%. Moreover, the most common mineral elements in pollen were calcium, potassium, magnesium, silicium, sodium and iron. Besides, heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium and lead have been detected in bee pollen samples that is a result of the increased environmental pollution and have negative effects on health. Therefore, in bee pollen production, identification, determination of nutritional quality and standardization of pollen are very important for producers and consumers.