Evaluation of the effect of enzymatic hydrolysis on bee bread and bee pollen

Abstract

Bee products such as bee bread, propolis, royal jelly, venom, and pollen are multi-component natural substances prepared by bees (Apis mellifera). These products can be used for human well-being. Pollen and bee bread positively affect the human body, reducing the incidence of heart disease and inhibiting the development of many diseases, thanks to the presence of biologically active substances such as phenolic compounds and flavonoids, that can scavenge free radicals. Enzymatic hydrolysis involves breaking down large molecules into smaller ones using enzymes. In the case of bee bread and pollen, this process can increase the release of nutrients from the pollen by breaking down complex carbohydrates and proteins into simpler forms that can be more easily digested by humans. This can increase the nutritional value of bee bread and pollen, making them more beneficial for the human body [1]. Enzymes act as catalysts, thus mentioned action can be understood as the ability of enzymes to break down essential components of the cell wall [2]. To our knowledge, there is insufficient scientific data on the influence of enzyme mixture (Viscozyme® L) and pure cellulase on the levels of bioactive compounds in bee bread and pollen. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of enzyme mixture (Viscozyme® L) and cellulase on the quantities of bioactive compounds in bee bread and pollen. The total amount of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antiradical activity was evaluated in bee bread and bee pollen samples before and after enzymatic hydrolysis using spectrophotometric methods [3]. The results were expressed in mg of rutin equivalents (RE) in 1 g of the sample. The results showed different behavior of enzymes and tested parameters. For example, the application of enzyme mixture Viscozyme® allowed to significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the total phenolic compounds content both in bee bread and pollen by 1.1 times, while cellulase had an impact only on pollen phenolic compounds (a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase by 1.1 times was obtained). Unfortunately, the tested enzymes did not have a significant effect on the enhancement of the recovery of flavonoids and antiradical activity both in bee bread and in pollen.