Bee Pollen: Current Status and Therapeutic Potential

Shaden A M Khalifa; Mohamed H Elashal; Nermeen Yosri; Ming Du; Syed G Musharraf; Lutfun Nahar; Satyajit D Sarker; Zhiming Guo; Wei Cao; Xiaobo Zou; Aida A Abd El-Wahed; Jianbo Xiao; Hany A Omar; Mohamed-Elamir F Hegazy; Hesham R El-Seedi

doi:10.3390/nu13061876

Bee Pollen: Current Status and Therapeutic Potential

Nutrients. 2021 May 31;13(6):1876. doi: 10.3390/nu13061876.

Authors

Shaden A M Khalifa¹, Mohamed H Elashal², Nermeen Yosri^{2

3}, Ming Du⁴, Syed G Musharraf⁵, Lutfun Nahar⁶, Satyajit D Sarker⁷, Zhiming Guo³, Wei Cao⁸, Xiaobo Zou³, Aida A Abd El-Wahed⁹, Jianbo Xiao¹⁰, Hany A Omar¹¹, Mohamed-Elamir F Hegazy¹², Hesham R El-Seedi^{2

13

14}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
² Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom 32512, Egypt.
³ School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
⁴ School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116024, China.
⁵ H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan.
⁶ Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Institute of Experimental Botany ASCR & Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 27, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic.
⁷ Centre for Natural Products Discovery (CNPD), School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK.
⁸ College of Food Science and Technology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China.
⁹ Department of Bee Research, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Giza 12627, Egypt.
¹⁰ Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Department of Analytical Chemistry and Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Vigo-Ourense Campus, E-32004 Ourense, Spain.
¹¹ College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, P.O.Box 27272, United Arab Emirates.
¹² Chemistry of Medicinal Plants Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt.
¹³ International Research Center for Food Nutrition and Safety, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
¹⁴ Pharmacognosy Group, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Biomedical Centre, Uppsala University, Box 591, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.

Abstract

Bee pollen is a combination of plant pollen and honeybee secretions and nectar. The Bible and ancient Egyptian texts are documented proof of its use in public health. It is considered a gold mine of nutrition due to its active components that have significant health and medicinal properties. Bee pollen contains bioactive compounds including proteins, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and polyphenols. The vital components of bee pollen enhance different bodily functions and offer protection against many diseases. It is generally marketed as a functional food with affordable and inexpensive prices with promising future industrial potentials. This review highlights the dietary properties of bee pollen and its influence on human health, and its applications in the food industry.

Keywords: bee pollen; functional food; human health; metabolic syndromes; nutritional value.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Antioxidants / analysis
Bees*
Blood Glucose
Carbohydrates / analysis
Functional Food*
Humans
Metabolic Syndrome
Mice
Nutritive Value
Pollen*
Propolis*
Rats

Substances

Antioxidants
Blood Glucose
Carbohydrates
Propolis

Grants and funding

VR 2016-05885/Swedish Research links Grant VR 2016-05885