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

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.