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Nowadays, yeasts are widely used for food and beverage fermentation as well as for their functional traits, as there has been an increase in scientific interest in their contributions to human health. Microbial competition in habitats with adverse abiotic factors could force yeasts to activate competitive tools, such as bioactive compound production. Here, bee pollen, fresh bee bread, and aged bee bread were analyzed as a reservoir of potential new functional yeasts. Microbiological analyses of pollen showed a dominance of bacteria and molds, although yeasts were present in all samples and increased in fresh and aged bee bread where osmophilic yeasts appeared. Functional traits such as antioxidant activity; polyphenol and flavonoid production; antimicrobial activity toward molds, yeast, and pathogenic bacteria; phytase activity; and potential probiotic aptitude were studied. Out of fifty-eight isolated yeasts, four showed antioxidant activity higher (around 70%) than Codex® due to having the highest levels of polyphenols or flavonoids. One strain possessed phytase activity, and three strains belonging to Starmerella and Metschnikowia genera had wide antimicrobial activity. Nine strains exhibited the ability to resist gastrointestinal conditions, and four possessed all probiotic traits tested. All these findings demonstrate the effectiveness of pollen and bee bread as natural sources for new bioactive and functional yeasts.

Bee bread (BB) and bee pollen (BP) are accepted as functional food and considered in medical properties due to its important bioactive components. These bee products show different biological properties, but researches on these aspects have not been clear yet. In present study, Anatolian BB and BP extracts were analyzed for the first time for their pollen type, total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid content (TFC), and antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Samples were analyzed for their antimicrobial efficacy by the agar well diffusion and MIC methods. HPLC analysis was used to identify the compounds in the BB and BP samples. Antioxidant activity was measured by the FRAP and DPPH methods. As a result of microscopy for pollen identification, Fagaceae family was dominant. Phenolic compound analysis showed that the amounts of p -coumaric acid and rutin were found to be the highest in BB and BP, respectively. Stronger antioxidant activity was obtained from BP. MIC values of BB were range from 250 to 12.5 μg/mL. The most susceptible bacterium was Mycobacterium smegmatis . The extract of BP was effective on all gram-negative bacteria with doses range from 250 μg/mL to 500 μg/mL. The lowest MIC value was detected with the concentration of 12.5 μg/mL against M. smegmatis . Anatolian BB and BP could be considered as a functional foods due to antioxidant activity and may be beneficial in the management and treatment of pathogenic bacteria because of high antimicrobial activity.

Purpose Stingless bee products, such as honey and bee bread, are rich sources of beneficial microbes and bioactive compounds. This study aimed to develop a novel multi-strain probiotic formulation by isolating and characterizing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from stingless bee honey (SBH) and stingless bee bread (SBB), and then enhancing their viability through prebiotic-fortified microencapsulation. Methods A total of 34 LAB isolates were obtained from SBH and SBB collected from five stingless bee species. Among them, three LAB strains - Lactiplantibacillus sp. SBB-HI4 (closest to L. plantarum ATCC 14917 T , 99.7% similarity), Lactiplantibacillus sp. SBB-HI8, (closest to L. pentosus DSM 20314 T , 99.8% similarity), and Lacticaseibacillus sp. SBB-GT4 (closest to L. paracasei JCM 1171 T , 99.8% similarity) - were selected based on their probiotic potential. Their acid and bile salt tolerance, cell surface properties (hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation, and co-aggregation), and antimicrobial activity against common enteropathogens were evaluated. Safety was assessed by hemolytic activity and antibiotic susceptibility. A double-layered alginate-chitosan microencapsulation system supplemented with galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) was applied to enhance probiotic stability. Results The selected LAB isolates exhibited high acid (pH 3.0) and bile (pH 8.0) tolerance, with survival rates exceeding 80%. Notably, SBB-HI4 showed the highest hydrophobicity (34.03%), auto-aggregation (20.70%), and co-aggregation with E. coli (23.92%) and S. Typhimurium (19.46%). All three strains exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and passed safety assessments. Encapsulated probiotics demonstrated superior viability, maintaining counts of about 2.6 × 10⁶ CFU/g for four months at 4 °C. The addition of 1.0% (w/v) GOS significantly improved probiotic survival under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Conclusion Stingless bee-derived LAB, particularly when co-encapsulated with GOS in alginate–chitosan beads, offer promise for applications in the development of stable, functional probiotic supplements aimed at improving gut health across diverse hosts, including bees, animals, and humans.

Due to numerous bioactive constituents, both bee pollen (BP) and bee bread (BB) represent valuable food supplements. The transformation of BP into BB is a complex biochemical in-hive process that enables the preservation of the pollen’s nutritional value. The aim of this study was to determine the depth of the honeycomb cells in which bees store pollen and to provide a spectral insight into the chemical changes that occur during the BP-to-BB transformation process. This study was carried out on three experimental colonies of Apis mellifera carnica, from which fresh BP was collected using pollen traps, while BB samples were manually extracted from the cells two weeks after BP sampling. The samples were analyzed using infrared (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy, and the depth of the cells was measured using a caliper. The results showed that the average depth of the cells was 11.0 mm, and that the bees stored BB up to an average of 7.85 mm, thus covering between ⅔ and ¾ (71.4%) of the cell. The FTIR-ATR analysis revealed unique spectral profiles of both BP and BB, indicating compositional changes primarily reflected in a higher water content and an altered composition of the carbohydrate fraction (and, to a lesser extent, the lipid fraction) in BB compared to BP.

Bee bread has numerous nutritional benefits and bioactive compounds. Other bee byproducts have been used as extender additives to improve semen cryopreservation. Here, we examined the effects of supplementing egg yolk extender (EYE) or soybean lecithin extender (SBLE) with bee bread extract (BBE) on the quality of cryopreserved ram semen. Semen was collected from five adult Rahmani rams once a week for 7 weeks. EYE and SBLE were supplemented with BBE. Antioxidant capacity and total phenolic compound, total flavonoid compound, and total soluble carbohydrate levels of BBE were measured. Sperm characteristics, including progressive motility, viability, abnormalities, membrane integrity, and acrosome integrity, were analyzed after equilibration, thawing, and thawing followed by a 2-h incubation. The total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and total acid phosphatase levels in extenders were determined after thawing. Sperm apoptosis was analyzed using annexin V assays. SBLE was more effective than EYE for cryopreserving ram semen. Extender supplementation with BBE improved ram semen quality during freezing in a concentration-dependent pattern. Motility, vitality, and membrane integrity were particularly enhanced in BBE-treated semen. Additionally, BBE promoted antioxidant and enzymatic activities and reduced apoptosis in semen. Thus, extender supplementation with BBE improved sperm cryopreservation.

This study investigates the bioactive composition of Syrian bee bread (SBB) and its application in the green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). For the first time, bee bread was utilized for the synthesis of AuNPs. The SBB extract exhibited high levels of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identified key phenolic flavonoid, and sugar components, while Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed various bioactive constituents. The synthesis was optimized at pH 9.5, gold salt concentration of 2 mM, SBB extract 1%, and room temperature, yielding small, stable and well-dispersed AuNPs with Z-average of 46.38 ± 6.12 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.235 ± 0.002, and ζ-potential of − 29.7 mV according to Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) showed a Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak at 524 nm. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) confirmed spherical nanoparticles, with sizes of ~ 33 nm and ~ 28.69 nm, respectively. The SBB-AuNPs displayed antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli , Klebsiella Spp., and Candida albicans , with inhibition zones ranging from 18 to 27 mm. Importantly, no cytotoxic effects were observed in normal fibroblast cells at concentrations below 100 µg/mL indicating promising biocompatibility. This novel approach yields small, stable, and bioactive nanoparticles with potent antimicrobial properties and high biocompatibility, representing a significant improvement over other bee product-based methods. These findings highlight the potential biomedical applications of SBB-AuNPs, including their incorporation into topical creams or ointments for the prevention and treatment of skin infections, wound-healing formulations, and as antimicrobial agents in medical devices or protective coatings.

The pollen analysis is currently the only reliable test to determine honey variety, but the results are sometimes burdened with error. The main reason for this is additional pollen that got into honey in a way other than with nectar collected by bees but through the centrifugation of combs containing bee bread cells. Studies were conducted in 2012 - 2013 on how different numbers of bee bread cells placed in the honey super influence lime honey pollen analysis. Bee bread pollen getting into honey during extraction in centrifugal-force honey extractors was proven to significantly influence the results of pollen analysis. In some extreme cases, it might skew the results so much that correct determination of honey variety by pollen analysis is no longer possible.

Honeybees produce honey, royal jelly, propolis, bee venom, bee pollen, and beeswax, which potentially benefit to humans due to the bioactives in them. Clinical standardization of these products is hindered by chemical variability depending on honeybee and botanical sources, but different molecules have been isolated and pharmacologically characterized. Major honey bioactives include phenolics, methylglyoxal, royal jelly proteins (MRJPs), and oligosaccharides. In royal jelly there are antimicrobial jelleins and royalisin peptides, MRJPs, and hydroxy-decenoic acid derivatives, notably 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, neuromodulatory, metabolic syndrome preventing, and anti-aging activities. Propolis contains caffeic acid phenethyl ester and artepillin C, specific of Brazilian propolis, with antiviral, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. Bee venom consists of toxic peptides like pain-inducing melittin, SK channel blocking apamin, and allergenic phospholipase A2. Bee pollen is vitaminic, contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant phenolics, as well as antiatherosclerotic, antidiabetic, and hypoglycemic flavonoids, unsaturated fatty acids, and sterols. Beeswax is widely used in cosmetics and makeup. Given the importance of drug discovery from natural sources, this review is aimed at providing an exhaustive screening of the bioactive compounds detected in honeybee products and of their curative or adverse biological effects.

Stingless bee-collected pollen (bee bread) is a mixture of bee pollen, bee salivary enzymes, and regurgitated honey, fermented by indigenous microbes during storage in the cerumen pot. Current literature data for bee bread is overshadowed by bee pollen, particularly of honeybee Apis. In regions such as South America, Australia, and Southeast Asia, information on stingless bee bee bread is mainly sought to promote the meliponiculture industry for socioeconomic development. This review aims to highlight the physicochemical properties and health benefits of bee bread from the stingless bee. In addition, it describes the current progress on identification of beneficial microbes associated with bee bread and its relation to the bee gut. This review provides the basis for promoting research on stingless bee bee bread, its nutrients, and microbes for application in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Recently, functional foods have been a subject of great interest in dietetics owing not only to their nutritional value but rather their myriad of health benefits. Moreover, an increase in consumers’ demands for such valuable foods warrants the development in not only production but rather tools of quality and nutrient assessment. Bee products, viz., pollen (BP) and bread, are normally harvested from the flowering plants with the aid of bees. BP is further subjected to a fermentation process in bee hives to produce the more valuable and bioavailable BB. Owing to their nutritional and medicinal properties, bee products are considered as an important food supplements rich in macro-, micro-, and phytonutrients. Bee products are rich in carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins, fatty acids, and minerals in addition to a myriad of phytonutrients such as phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, volatiles, and carotenoids. Moreover, unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs) of improved lipid profile such as linoleic, linolenic, and oleic were identified in BP and BB. This work aims to present a holistic overview of BP and BB in the context of their composition and analysis, and to highlight optimized extraction techniques to maximize their value and future applications in nutraceuticals.