Differentiating between Monofloral Portuguese Bee Pollens Using Phenolic and Volatile Profiles and Their Impact on...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Bee products, including pollen, are valued for medicinal and dietary benefits.
• Differentiating monofloral bee pollens is crucial for quality control and understanding their properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To differentiate Portuguese monofloral bee pollens based on phenolic and volatile profiles.
• To investigate the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of these bee pollens.

Main Methods:

• Phenolic and flavonoid content analysis.
• Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection and Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LC/DAD/ESI-MSn) for compound identification.
• Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) for volatile compound analysis.
• Antioxidant assays: DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging, and reducing power assay.
• Cytotoxic activity assay against MCF-7 cancer cells.

Main Results:

• Phenolic compounds ranged from 2.9-35.8 mg GAE/g and flavonoids from 0.7-4.8 mg QE/g.
• LC/DAD/ESI-MSn identified 72 compounds (phenolics, phenylamides).
• GC-MS revealed 49 volatile compounds (ketones, aldehydes, terpenes, etc.).
• Castanae sp. pollen exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (EC50: 0.07 mg/mL).
• Rubus sp. and Cistaceae sp. pollens showed highest ABTS radical scavenging and reducing power, respectively.
• Carduus sp. pollen demonstrated significant cytotoxic potential against MCF-7 cells.

Conclusions:

• Distinct phenolic and volatile profiles allow differentiation of Portuguese monofloral bee pollens.
• Bee pollens possess significant antioxidant properties, varying by floral source.
• Carduus sp. pollen shows potential as an anti-cancer agent, warranting further investigation.