Abstract

Bee pollen has gained increased interest in recent decades due to its therapeutic, antioxidant, antifungal and anticariogenic properties, as well as its potential use as a functional food product in the food industry because of its nutritional properties. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the chemical components of pollen extracts with different botanical origin, supporting the hypothesis that bee products inherit the characteristics and bioactive properties from the plants they come from. The purpose of this study was to conduct a chemical characterization of samples of pollen collected by Apis mellifera L. from plants native to central Chile, and also to establish properties based on the presence of certain compounds. Pigment, total phenols and protein concentrations were quantified from bee pollen extracts. The antioxidant activity analysis was performed using the FRAP technique and the antiradical capacity was estimated using DPPH. The results indicated that Cryptocarya alba (Mol.) Looser was the pollen source preferred by bees. Pollen extracts from Colliguaja odorifera Mol. and Kageneckia oblonga R. et P. recorded the highest total phenolic content. The antioxidant activity was primarily displayed by C. odorifera and Quillaja saponaria Mol. The composition of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity were found to be closely associated with the botanical origin of the samples analyzed.