Chemical and bioactive characterization of pot-pollen produced by Melipona and Scaptotrigona stingless bees from Paria Grande, Amazonas State, Venezuela

Abstract

The chemical composition and bioactivity indicators (flavonoids, polyphenols, and antioxidant activity) of bee pollen produced by two Meliponini bee genera (Melipona and Scaptotrigona) in Paria Grande, Amazonas state, Venezuela, were compared. Proximal analyses were performed in triplicate following standard methods. Moisture, ash, and crude fat were done by volumetric methods, proteins by the microKjeldahl method (digestion with sulfuric acid and catalysts, distillation of ammonia by steam with sodium hydroxide and sodium thiosulphate, collection in boric acid and titration with hydrochloric acid), and carbohydrates by difference. Bioactivity was measured by spectrophotometry: The antioxidant activity by the ABTS method, flavonoids with a modified aluminum chloride method, and polyphenols with Folin-Ciocalteu. The following compositional and bioactivity variations were observed for the contents of moisture (43.49-48.54) g/100g pollen, ash (1.94-2.33) g/100g pollen, fat (3.19-6.72) g/100g pollen, proteins (16.80-18.32) g/100g pollen, carbohydrates (27.62-31.03) g/100g pollen, antioxidant activity (373.5 - 493.6) μg TEAC/100g pollen, flavonoids (1,110.7-1,644.9) mg QE/100 g pollen, and polyphenols (1,576.9-3,905.6) mg GAE/100 g pollen. This study will benefit further nutrional proposals on this proteinaceous food of bee origin, and supports Venezuelan meliponiculture in the Amazone.