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Chemometric Analysis of Bee Pollen Based on Volatile and Phenolic Compound Compositions and Antioxidant Properties

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine total amounts of phenolics and flavonoids, radical scavenging activities, and compositions of phenolic and volatile compounds in 14 samples of honeybee pollen collected in the Baltic region. Radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities and total amounts of phenolics and flavonoids were evaluated using spectrophotometry. Volatiles from the headspace of the samples were analyzed using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coated with 100-μm polydimethylsiloxane layer, separated, and identified employing GC-mass spectrometry (MS). Forty-two volatiles were identified in the headspace. Nonanal (1.5–20.1 %), dodecane (1.2–-34.6 %), and tridecane (1.4–24.7 %) were found in all samples. Screening of phenolics and flavonoids was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection. 2-Hydroxycinnamic acid (43.4–179.9 μg/g), rutin (156.2–955.7 μg/g), and quercetin (24.0–529.8 μg/g) were detected in all tested samples. Total amounts of phenolic compounds and flavonoids varied between 24.1 and 45.5 mg/g, and 6.1 and 11.6 mg/g, respectively, expressed as rutin equivalents. The pollen extracts exhibited radical scavenging activity, which scattered widely in range of 7.1–39.2 mg/g, expressed as rutin equivalents. Radical scavenging activity correlated with the total content of phenolic compounds while correlation coefficient was 0.95. Chemometric evaluation was performed to classify the samples into clusters according to the observed data.

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Acknowledgments

Authors would like to thank Apiproduktai, Ltd., for providing of the bee pollen samples.

Author Contributions

V. Kaškonienė was responsible for the experiments, result interpretation, and preparation of the paper concerning chemical part. G. Ruočkuvienė performed SPME-GC-MS and spectrophotometric and HPLC analyses. P. Kaškonas performed statistical mining, interpreted the classification results, and prepared the paper part about chemometric analysis. I. Akuneca helped in qualitative and quantitative analysis with HPLC. A. Maruška helped in experimental design and interpretation of the results. All authors contributed equally.

Conflict of Interest

Vilma Kaškonienė declares that she has no conflict of interest. Geralda Ruočkuvienė declares that she has no conflict of interest. Paulius Kaškonas declares that he has no conflict of interest. Ieva Akuneca declares that she has no conflict of interest. Audrius Maruška declares that he has no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Vileikos st. 8, LT-40444, Kaunas, Lithuania

    Vilma Kaškonienė, Geralda Ruočkuvienė, Ieva Akuneca & Audrius Maruška

  2. Institute of Metrology, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų st. 50, LT-51368, Kaunas, Lithuania

    Paulius Kaškonas

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  1. Vilma Kaškonienė
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  2. Geralda Ruočkuvienė
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  3. Paulius Kaškonas
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  5. Audrius Maruška
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Correspondence to Vilma Kaškonienė.

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Kaškonienė, V., Ruočkuvienė, G., Kaškonas, P. et al. Chemometric Analysis of Bee Pollen Based on Volatile and Phenolic Compound Compositions and Antioxidant Properties. Food Anal. Methods 8, 1150–1163 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-014-9996-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-014-9996-2

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