The Comparison of Honey Enriched with Laboratory Fermented Pollen vs. Natural Bee Bread in Terms of Nutritional and Antioxidant Properties, Protein In Vitro Bioaccessibility, and Its Genoprotective Effect in Yeast Cells

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the nutritional value and bioactivity of honey enriched with a 10% addition of natural bee bread and its substitutes obtained as a result of laboratory fermentation of bee pollen. Physicochemical parameters, antioxidant properties, as well as the bioaccessibility of proteins using an in vitro static digestion model were analyzed. The bioactivity of the obtained enriched honeys was tested using the yeast model. The research indicates the similarity of honeys with the addition of “artificial bee bread” to honey with natural ones. During in vitro digestion, good bioaccessibility of the protein from the tested products was demonstrated. The ability of the products to protect yeast cells against hydrogen superoxide-induced oxidative stress was demonstrated using a qualitative spot test, which was stronger in the case of enriched honey than in pure rapeseed control honey. Significant inhibition of the growth of both strains of yeast exposed to bee pollen-enriched honeys was also demonstrated. Furthermore, all tested samples showed significant genoprotective activity against the genotoxic effect of zeocin and the reduction of the number of DNA double-strand breaks by a minimum of 70% was observed.

The Effects of Bee Additives on the Physico-Chemical and Antioxidant Properties of Rapeseed Honey

“…Furthermore, all tested honeys demonstrated genoprotective potential against yeast DNA damage. The obtained results affirm the benefits of combining honey with both bee bread and its substitute [16].…”

“…According to Habryka et al 2020 [15], the addition of 1% of propolis to multifloral honey did not change the specific conductivity value (0.493 mS/cm) in comparison to multifloral honey without propolis (0.500 mS/cm). The specific conductivity in rapeseed honey with a 10% addition of bee pollen was in the range 0.424-0.665 mS/cm, and in honey with a 10% addition of bee bread, it was lower and in the range 0.528-0.537 mS/cm [16]. The results obtained from the conducted analyses, show that all of the products met the specified requirements for honey [25].…”

“…The moisture content in raw propolis, as reported in their study, ranged from 1.96% to 8.26%. Miłek et al, 2023 [16], described that water content in rapeseed honey with 10% of bee bread was between 17.4 and 17.8%, and in honey with 10% bee pollen, it ranged from 16.45% to 17.85% [16].…”

“…According to Costa et al 2017 [33], the pH for bee pollen ranges from 3 to 4. Miłek et al 2023 [16] reported that after the addition of 10% bee pollen to rapeseed honey, the average pH of the product was lowered and reached 4.35. Moreover, the addition of 10% bee bread to rapeseed honey lowered its pH from 4.25 to 3.96 [16].…”

“…Consequently, honey enriched with other bee products may be considered functional food supplements with potent antioxidant properties and robust antibacterial activity, particularly against E. coli [12]. In a study by Miłek et al 2023 [16], the bioactivity and nutritional value of rapeseed honey enriched with a 10% addition of natural bee bread and its substitutes obtained by bee pollen fermentation in laboratory conditions were compared. Researchers reported a significant increase in antioxidant activity and polyphenol content in the enriched honey samples.…”