Botanical origin and antimicrobial activity of bee pollen: Natural inhibitor for foodborne pathogens.

INTRODUCTION

Pollen collected by Apis mellifera is a product known for its various biological and therapeutic properties. This study aimed to evaluate the botanical origin, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antimicrobial activity of bee pollen collected from Türkiye.

METHODS

The botanical origin of bee pollen samples was analyzed using melissopalinology, TPC, TFC and their antibiomicrobial activities were analyzed by the disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC).

RESULTS

25 plant families, 44 genera, 5 species and 4 types were determined by palynological analysis. Two samples were monofloral (P2: Helianthus sp.; P6: Papaver sp.) and the others were heterofloral. TPC and TFC values varied within the range of 4.42 ± 0.02-14.68 ± 0.01 mg GAE/g and 1.1 ± 0.0010-3.4 ± 0.01 mg QE/g respectively. The antimicrobial resistance of bee pollen was investigated against ten foodborne pathogens, including Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica), Gram positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria ivanovii, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus), and yeast (Candida albicans). Pollen samples exhibited different resistance to all food pathogens. The results demonstrated that most of the bee pollen samples inhibited growth (48.4-67.2 %) the food pathogens tested.

CONCLUSIONS

It was found that the high antimicrobial effect of bee pollen samples against Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Listeria ivanovii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The study suggests that bee pollen could be a viable alternative for inhibiting the growth of foodborne pathogens. The present investigation is of significant regarding the usability of bee pollen as a natural antimicrobial agent for food preservation.