Bee-pollen, produced by Apis mellifera bees, is an important source of proteins, lipids, vitamins
and minerals for the hive, being considered one of nature's most completely nourishing foods.
Its composition may vary according to the geographical region and its quality is influenced by
harvest method and processing conditions. Although it has good nutritional components, beepollen
contains significant amounts of polyphenols with recognized health benefits, including
antioxidant activity. The present study aimed to evaluate the flavonoid composition, using
HPLC-MS technique; and the antioxidant activity, using two different methods (DPPH and
ORAC), of eight dehydrated bee-pollen samples collected in different Brazilian apiaries. The
sample with the highest antioxidant capacity using DPPH method was produced in Rio Grande
do Sul State (110.85 mol TE/g) while the sample with the least antioxidant capacity was
collected in Bahia State (9.97 mol TE/g). The same sample from Rio Grande do Sul State
presented the highest antioxidant capacity using ORAC method (542.00 mol TE/g), while the
lowest value was observed in a sample from Mato Grosso State (133.70 mol TE/g). The
flavonoid analysis using HPLC-MS revealed the following variations: catechin (0.69 to 0.75
mg/100 g); naringenine (4.57 to 18.36 mg/100 g); rutin (3.36 to 46.80 mg/100 g); quercetin (1.86
to 67.91 mg/100 g) and kaempferol (5.50 to 44.97 mg/100 g). In the sample with the highest
antioxidant capacity (Rio Grande do Sul State) was observed 40 peaks in the HPLC-MS, while
the samples with the lowest antioxidant capacities the number of peaks were 25 (Mato Grosso
State) and 22 (Bahia State); therefore, the variety of compounds may have influenced the
antioxidant capacity of the samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
