CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Bee pollen is collected from various selected flower species by the honeybee Apis mellifera and it is the only natural source of nutrients for the bees. Likewise, the dark blue/purple colour is a feature that distinguishes the pollen from other pollen types. In accordance with our knowledge, the anthocyanin profile of bee pollen loads that present this feature colour, had not been well studied. In this work, dark blue/purple bee pollen samples from both pollinic type Echium plantagineum and Campanulaceae were analysed in order to identify and quantify their anthocyanin pigments. Bee pollen samples were collected from different apicultural Spanish regions during the three periods floral production in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The anthocyanin composition was determined by HPLC-DAD-MS and the sugars associated with the anthocyanidins were detected by HPTLC analysis. Eight different pigments were identified in Echium plantagineum. The principal anthocyanin was petunidin-3-O-rutinoside and the other pigments found were delphinidin, cyanidin and petunidin-3-O-glucoside; delphinidin, cyanidin, peonidin and malvidin-3-O-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-(6-malonylglucoside). The anthocyanin profile from Campanulaceae was clearly different, the main anthocyanin being cyanidin-3-(6-malonylglucoside) and the other pigments found were cyanidin derivatives. The total anthocyanin content ranged from 45 to 80 mg/100 g of blue/purple bee pollen, which could represent a significant source of phytochemicals for human diet, giving an additional value to already recognised nutritional properties of bee pollen. Similarly, the differences found when the Echium anthocyanin profile is compared with that of Campanulaceae anthocyanins, permits the hypothesis that the anthocyanin profile could be used as a botanical source marker of bee pollen.

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