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. 2024 Feb 27;13(3):292.
doi: 10.3390/antiox13030292.

Enhancing Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities in Bee-Collected Pollen through Solid-State Fermentation: A Comparative Analysis of Bioactive Compounds

Adriana Cristina Urcan  1 , Adriana Dalila Criste  1 , Daniel Severus Dezmirean  2 , Otilia Bobiș  2 , Victorița Bonta  2 , Ramona Flavia Burtescu  3 , Neli-Kinga Olah  3   4 , Mihaiela Cornea-Cipcigan  5 , Rodica Mărgăoan  6
Affiliations

Enhancing Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities in Bee-Collected Pollen through Solid-State Fermentation: A Comparative Analysis of Bioactive Compounds

Adriana Cristina Urcan et al. Antioxidants (Basel). .

Abstract

The present study investigates the impact of solid-state fermentation on bee-collected pollen using a consortium of Lactobacillus plantarum, Apilactobacillus kunkeei, and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Another aim is to compare the nutritional and bioactive properties of natural versus fermented pollen, focusing on macronutrient composition, pH, acidity, lactic acid content, and profiles of polyphenolics and flavonoids. Our results indicated significant enhancements in the contents of amino acids, suggesting improved protein content, alongside increases in polyphenolic and flavonoid contents post-fermentation. According to the heat mapping and cluster analysis, increased antioxidant and antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, particularly E. coli, were observed in the fermented bee-collected pollen samples, which may have been due to the accumulation of phenolic compounds (e.g., ellagic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside). Furthermore, significant positive correlations of the fermented bee-collected pollen samples with non-essential amino acids were recorded compared with the unfermented bee-collected pollen samples, which may have been due to the fermentation process and the conversion of proteins into free amino acids via proteolysis. Future research could explore the underlying mechanisms, the scalability of fermentation, its application in functional foods, and the health benefits of fermented bee-collected pollen in human diets.

Keywords: amino acids; antimicrobial activity; antioxidant activity; bee-collected pollen; fermentation; lactic acid bacteria; polyphenols.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors N.K.O. and R.F.B. are affiliated with SC PlantExtrakt SRL; however, SC PlantExtrakt SRL had no role in the financing or design of this study and did not in any way influence the results of this study or the decision to publish the data obtained. The remaining authors declare that this research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be interpreted as potential conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Kinetic monitoring of lactic acid bacteria in BP samples during fermentation. Vertical error bars correspond to standard deviations (n = 3). BP = bee-collected pollen.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Amino acid profile of the samples analyzed before and after fermentation: (a) Total amino acid contents from BP samples before and after fermentation. (b) Contents of essential amino acids from BP samples before and after fermentation. (c) Proline content of BP samples before and after fermentation. BP = bee-collected pollen, FBP = fermented bee-collected pollen. Vertical error bars correspond to standard deviations (n = 3). Different letters represent significant differences (p < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The total content of polyphenols and flavonoids (a) The total polyphenolic contents of BP and FBP samples. (b) Total flavonoid contents of BP and FBP samples. Vertical error bars correspond to standard deviations (n = 3). Different letters represent significant differences (p < 0.05).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Antioxidant activity of BP and FBP samples tested using different methods: (a) The results regarding the antioxidant activity tested by DPPH method; (b) The results regarding the antioxidant activity tested by TEAC method; (c) The results regarding the antioxidant activity tested by FRAP method. Vertical error bars correspond to standard deviations (n = 3). Different letters represent significant differences (p < 0.05).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Correlograms showing graphical relationships among the evaluated nutritional values and essential amino acids of the BP (left) and FBP (right) samples. Correlation coefficients between the evaluated characteristics are displayed in red and blue. A darker hue and increased circle size represent a strong correlation, whereas a lighter hue and smaller circle size represent a weak correlation among the compounds.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Correlograms showing graphical relationships among the evaluated nutritional values and non-essential amino acids of the BP (left) and FBP (right) samples. Positive and negative correlations between the evaluated characteristics are displayed in red and blue, respectively. A darker hue represents a strong correlation, whereas a lighter hue represents a weak correlation among the compounds.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Hierarchical clustering and heatmap visualization of polyphenolic profile, antioxidant activities, and antimicrobial activities of fermented and non-fermented BP samples. Columns indicate the identified phenolic compounds, antioxidant activities, and antimicrobial activities, and rows indicate the BP and FBP samples. Cells are colored based on the values of identified compounds and bioactivities, where red represents a strong positive correlation and blue a strong negative correlation.
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