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Updated: Sep 27, 2026
Collection and Identification of Pollen from Honey Bee Colonies
Published on: January 19, 2021
In-Depth Biological Activities, Chemical Profiling by LC-MS/MS of Mersin, Türkiye Bee Products (Pollen, Honey,
Ebubekir İzol1,2, Mustafa Abdullah Yılmaz3, İlhami Gülçin4,5
1Bee and Natural Products R&D and P&D Application and Research Center, Bingol University, 12000 Bingöl, Türkiye.
Abstract:
Bee products, including propolis, royal jelly, honey, bee pollen, and bee bread, are natural functional foods recognized for their nutritional value and health-promoting properties. In the present study, propolis, royal jelly, honey, bee pollen, and bee bread collected from Mersin, one of Türkiye's major beekeeping regions, were comprehensively characterized in terms of their phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential, enzyme inhibition effects, and physicochemical properties. The antioxidant capacities of the samples were evaluated by determining total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and their radical scavenging and reducing abilities using the DPPH, ABTS, and DMPD radical scavenging assays and CUPRAC, FRAP, and Fe3+-reducing assays. Enzyme inhibition effects were assessed against human carbonic anhydrase I and II (hCA I and hCA II), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), α-glycosidase, and α-amylase. Furthermore, the phytochemical profiles of all bee products were determined by LC-MS/MS through the targeted analysis of 53 phenolic compounds and related metabolites. Furthermore, the honey sample was evaluated for its principal physicochemical quality parameters, including hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), sugar composition (glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose), naphthalene residue, diastase activity, proline content, free acidity, pH, moisture content, and electrical conductivity. Consistent with its phytochemical composition, propolis showed the strongest antioxidant activity among the investigated bee products under the same experimental conditions. These findings highlight the antioxidant potential of Mersin bee products and indicate their potential as natural sources of bioactive compounds, with possible applications in functional food and nutraceutical research. Further comprehensive studies are warranted to better characterize their bioactive constituents and explore their potential applications.
