Bacterial Profile and Fatty Acid Composition of Anatolian Bee Bread Samples by Metataxonomic and Metabolomic Approach

This study investigated the bacterial and postbiotic potential of three Anatolian bee bread samples obtained from different regions of Turkey (Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean) and offered for human consumption. The families most commonly found in Anatolian bee bread were Lactobacillaceae, Oscillospiraceae, Bacteroidaceae, Prevotellaceae, and Lachnospiraceae. Lactobacillus delbruckeii was highly abundant, but also other beneficial bacteria, known to be next-generation probiotics, were revealed in bee bread, such as Prevotalla copri, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Akkermansia muciniphila. Apart from these beneficial bacteria, bee bread samples also harbored undesired bacteria such as Phocaeicola vulgatus, Phocaeicola dorei, and Clostridium perfringens. Fatty acid composition showed that bee bread samples had butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid, as a postbiotic. Additionally, polyunsaturated fatty acids were also found such as alfa-linolenic acid and eicosadienoic acid. The fatty acids with the highest amounts were palmitic acid (~ 30%), stearic acid (~ 17%), and alpha-linolenic acid (~ 12%). One of the samples exhibited antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.