Protein content and amino acids composition of bee-pollens from major floral sources in al-Ahsa, eastern Saudi Arabia

Abstract EN

Protein content and amino acids composition of bee-pollens from major pollen floral sources in Al-Ahsa, SaudiArabiaweredeterminedtoinvestigate thenutritivevalueofpollen proteinrelativetorequirements of honeybees and adult humans.

The major pollen sources were alfalfa, date palm, rape, summer squash, and sunflower.

Bee-pollens from alfalfa and date palm showed high content of crude protein and amino acid concentrations.

Bee-pollen from sunflower had low content of those components.

Eighteen amino acids were found in bee-pollens from the five major floral sources.

The highest concentrations of individual amino acids valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine and proline were obtained from alfalfa beepollen; lysine, arginine, cysteine, tryptophan and tyrosine from date palm; methionine, histidine, glycine and alanine from summer squash; threonine, serine and glutamic acid from sunflower; and aspartic acid from rape bee-pollen.

The amino acid composition obtained from sunflower bee-pollen showed the lowest concentrations of the essential amino acids: isoleucine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine and valine.

Apart from methionine, arginine and isoleucine, the essential amino acids of bee-pollen from alfalfa, date palm, summer squash and rape exceeded the honeybees’ requirements.

Methionine was the limiting amino acid in bee-pollens from the five selected sources.

Concentrations of essential amino acids in the tested bee-pollens were variable and significantly correlated to their botanical origin of pollen.

Bee-pollens from alfalfa, date palm and summer squash was found to be rich source of protein and amino acids for bees and for humans